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Retrospective2016 Queensland Core Skills Test

ISSN 1321-3938

© The State of Queensland (Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority) 2016

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ForewordThe Retrospective is an annual publication that provides detailed and wide-ranging feedback on the Queensland Core Skills (QCS) Test and the responses of students.

The core skills are the common curriculum elements that are within the curriculum experience of most senior students. The level of sophistication demanded by the test is appropriate for Year 12 students. It is a cross-curriculum test, which means that it does not test the content of specific subjects. Rather it tests the skills learnt from the combination of subjects in a balanced curriculum.

The QCS Test consists of four testpapers — a Writing Task (WT), a Short Response (SR) testpaper and two Multiple Choice (MC) testpapers. Students experience a variety of stimulus material such as prose passages, poems, graphs, tables, maps, mathematical and scientific data, cartoons, and reproductions of works of art.

The MC response sheets are computer marked. The WT and SR testpapers are marked each year in the first week of the September school holidays. Two marking operations are held concurrently and involve hundreds of carefully trained Queensland teachers. In 2016, the responses of approximately 27040 students were marked by 190 WT markers and 305 SR markers. Each response is double marked, with referee marking taking place if required.

The Retrospective is a definitive and descriptive report on the integration of the test specifications, the expectations of the test constructors, and the performance characteristics of the students. It also provides information on the relative worth of items on the test and provides data that allow the determination of student achievement on the test.

This publication is written for several audiences. At the school level, it offers advice to future candidates and it supports teacher efforts to prepare students and build their confidence with respect to sitting the test. For each subtest, ideas, strategies and reminders are given. In addition to being valuable for schools, anyone interested in cross-curriculum testing will find the Retrospective informative.

Because of copyright issues, the Retrospective does not include copies of the testpapers. All schools receive copies of the testpapers when the QCS Test is administered. Hard copies can be purchased from the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority. Electronic versions cannot be provided because of copyright considerations.

Chris RiderChief Executive Officer

iQueensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority |

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| Retrospective 2016 QCS Test

ContentsForeword ............................................................................................................................... i

Multiple Choice (MC) I & II

MC I & II 2016 summary ....................................................................................................... 2

MC I commentary ................................................................................................................. 5

MC II commentary ................................................................................................................ 8

Common Curriculum Elements (CCEs) and the MC format ...................................................... 11

Short Response (SR)

SR 2016 summary............................................................................................................... 13

Unit One ............................................................................................................................. 14

Unit Two ............................................................................................................................. 16

Unit Three ........................................................................................................................... 21

Unit Four............................................................................................................................. 28

Unit Five ............................................................................................................................. 32

Unit Six............................................................................................................................... 35

Unit Seven .......................................................................................................................... 44

Unit Eight............................................................................................................................ 50

Unit Nine ............................................................................................................................ 57

Writing Task (WT)

WT 2016 Overall concept: Seeing things............................................................................... 64

Diagram of the testpaper ..................................................................................................... 65

Commentary on stimulus pieces .......................................................................................... 66

Stimulus pieces: Visual, written or combination?.................................................................. 69

Choice of text type .............................................................................................................. 69

Choice of genre ................................................................................................................... 70

Selected student responses ................................................................................................ 75

Relative worth of each subtest

Relative worth of parts of the QCS Test................................................................................. 92

Deemed CCEs and QCS Test items........................................................................................ 93

Balance of the QCS Test in terms of CCEs ............................................................................. 93

Appendixes

Appendix 1: The 49 Common Curriculum Elements ............................................................... 94

Appendix 2: CCEs ................................................................................................................ 98

Appendix 3: CCEs grouped by baskets ................................................................................. 99

Appendix 4: Glossary of terms used in relation to the QCS Test ........................................... 100

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Multiple Choice (MC) I & IIThe 2016 MC subtest consisted of two testpapers, each with 25 verbal and 25 quantitative items. For an item, the facility (F) is the proportion of students who gave the correct response; it is expressed as a percentage. For the 2016 MC subtest, the average facility (AF) was 51.5%. The average facility on verbal items was 50.9%, and on quantitative items was 52.1%. The average facility for MC I was 50.1% and for MC II was 52.9%. Males performed better than females (the average facility for males was 54.1% and for females 49.4%). On MC I, facilities for items ranged from 23% (item 13) to 82% (item 6), and on MC II from 28% (item 94) to 85% (item 52).

Within the verbal domain, stimulus materials included extracts from novels, plays, memoirs, quotations, short stories, cartoons, anecdotes and commentaries. Within the quantitative domain, stimulus materials included formulae, algebraic expressions, diagrams, illustrations, tables, graphs and maps. Epistemic areas covered included English language and literature, literary theory, philosophy, ethics, civics, biology, physics, chemistry, astronomy, physiology, history, geography, architecture, and both pure and applied mathematics.

The following table summarises data about the 24 units that made up the 2016 MC subtest. The main Common Curriculum Elements (CCEs) tested in each unit are listed. The order of the CCEs for each unit does not reflect the order of the items, nor does it imply a cognitive hierarchy. The baskets into which CCEs are grouped are shown in Appendix 3.

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MC I & II 2016 summary

Unit Item Key Basket F AF (%) Common Curriculum Elements

1 Life(poem)

1 A 54

58

4 interpreting the meaning of words or other symbols

29 comparing, contrasting45 judging/evaluating

2 D 63

3 D 56

2 Roman calendar(table; arithmetic)

4 B 73

7613 recording/noting data16 calculating31 interrelating ideas/ themes/ issues

5 C 80

6 B 82

7 C 71

3 Gobi desert(prose nonfiction; memoir)

8 D 48

5633 inferring43 analysing45 judging/evaluating

9 B 66

10 A 61

11 D 49

4 Punch cards(illustrations; mathematical rules)

12 A 51

46


7 translating from one form to another16 calculating36 applying strategies to trial and test ideas60 sketching/drawing

13 D 23

14 C 75

15 B 60

16 A 36

17 C 30

5 Tact(novel)

18 D 52

49


11 summarising/condensing written text28 empathising33 inferring43 analysing

19 B 50

20 A 68

21 D 35

22 A 42

6 Moon phases(graph)

23 C 48

516 interpreting the meaning of tables,

diagrams, maps or graphs7 translating from one form to another

24 C 51

25 D 42

26 C 53

27 B 61

7 Malls(prose nonfiction; architecture & society)

28 C 28

45


11 summarising/condensing written text38 generalising43 analysing

29 A 49

30 C 63

31 B 41

8 Lucas numbers(number sequence)

32 C 60

47

17 estimating numerical magnitude32 deducing35 extrapolating45 judging/evaluating49 perceiving patterns

33 B 69

34 D 44

35 A 35

36 C 47

37 A 30


9 Poststructuralists(prose nonfiction; philosophy)

38 B 61

45

33 inferring35 extrapolating43 analysing45 judging/evaluating

39 A 48

40 A 34

41 D 39

10 Hydrocarbons(chemistry diagrams)

42 B 32

35

6 interpreting the meaning of tables, diagrams, maps or graphs

7 translating from one form to another33 inferring

43 D 30

44 A 38

45 B 40

11 Libraries(prose nonfiction; civics)

46 D 50

48


29 comparing, contrasting31 interrelating ideas/ themes/ issues33 inferring43 analysing

47 C 39

48 B 60

49 D 46

50 A 44

12 Idealists(cartoon; philosophy)

51 D 70 705 interpreting the meaning of pictures and

illustrations

13 Training zones(formulae)

52 A 85

6716 calculating19 substituting in formulae33 inferring

53 D 72

54 B 57

55 A 70

56 B 62

57 C 55

14 Rematch(short story)

58 B 46

59


31 interrelating ideas/ themes/ issues33 inferring43 analysing

59 D 74

60 C 64

61 A 53

15 Quotations 62 D 4241

29 comparing, contrasting43 analysing63 A 40

16 Makruk(board game)

64 B 49

55

6 interpreting the meaning of tables, diagrams, maps and graphs

36 applying strategies to trial and test ideas45 judging/evaluating

65 D 82

66 B 57

67 B 45

68 C 43

17 Humorous story(prose nonfiction; literature)

69 A 68

48


33 inferring43 analysing

70 D 30

71 A 59

72 C 56

73 A 26



4

18 Lakes(table, diagram; geography)

74 D 44

45

16 calculating19 substituting in formulae29 comparing, contrasting32 deducing41 hypothesising

75 B 50

76 D 55

77 C 48

78 C 30

19 Bats(graph; biology)

79 B 39 396 interpreting the meaning of tables,

diagrams, maps or graphs

20 Power(formulae; physics)

80 A 5755

7 translating from one form to another19 substituting in formulae81 C 52

21 History(novel)

82 A 50

51


11 summarising/condensing written text33 inferring43 analysing

83 C 44

84 B 49

85 D 60

22 Tone(diagram, graph; physics)

86 B 68

48

6 interpreting the meaning of tables, diagrams, maps or graphs

15 graphing16 calculating32 deducing37 applying a progression of steps to achieve

the required answer

87 C 44

88 A 41

89 D 53

90 C 46

91 A 37

23 Sundial(playscript)

92 B 72

51


33 inferring38 generalising

93 C 59

94 B 28

95 D 43

96 C 54

24 Conscience(quotations; ethics)

97 C 70

53

11 summarising/condensing written text29 comparing, contrasting30 classifying43 analysing

98 A 49

99 B 64

100 D 30

Average facility on subtest 51.5



MC I commentaryThis section gives a brief outline of each unit. Two units (5 and 8) are singled out for detailed analysis.

Unit 1 Life

The first unit on this testpaper is based on a short poem by Paul Dunbar.

Unit 2 Roman calendar

This unit is based on changes to the ancient Roman calendar. The items required finding relevant information in the table and performing calculations.

Unit 3 Gobi desert

The short, memoir-style text in this unit recounts the experiences of two fellow travellers in the Gobi Desert.

Unit 4 Punch cards

This unit required students to understand the logic underlying punch cards, which were used to enter data into computers. Various pieces of information had to be combined and applied in the items.

Unit 5 Tact

This unit was based on an extract from a novel. The text is mostly direct dialogue, as would be found in a play; so the challenge here was to identify subtext. In the extract, a senior detective briefs a junior detective about a case involving an attack on winners in a local raffle.

Item 18: Students were required to interpret the meaning of Finch’s words regarding his tactfulness. Finch says that he is ‘too bad [at tact] to admit it’ (i.e. to admit being tactful), but ‘too good [at being tactful] to claim it [tactfulness] in the circumstances’. In this convoluted way, Finch means that he thought himself to be tactful, yet regarded it as tactless to boast of it. Option D is the key. Option A is incorrect because Finch aims to be humble rather than proud regarding his level of tactfulness. Option B fails to notice Finch’s admission that he thinks himself tactful in his attempt to use tact with his superior. Option C claims Finch admits to lacking tact and is happy to work without it, whereas Finch admits to being tactful and tries to act tactfully.

Item 19: This item asked why tact might be needed in such an investigation. Option B is the key. Tomkins wants Finch to be tactful so as not to frighten the winners when he informs them of potential danger. Option A is not Tomkins’s view (he hadn’t yet thought that it might warn the attacker of the investigation), but it is one that Finch introduces. Even though the police wish to discover the identity of the attacker, option C forms no part of Tomkins’s reasons for wanting Finch to be tactful. Option D is incorrect because Tomkins does not ask Finch to say that the police will neutralise all danger.

Item 20: Students were required to make a judgment about the sort of officer Finch is. Finch shows himself to be capable, as Tomkins himself almost grudgingly acknowledges in lines 2, 7 and 20; however, Finch is also inclined to interrupt his superior, as in lines 13 and 26. The key is therefore option A. Option B is incorrect because Finch’s interruptions reveal his insensitivity, and it undermines his attempts to cooperate with Tomkins. Option C is incorrect despite the fact that Finch addresses his superior as ‘Sir’; his interruptions reveal an offhandedness that Tomkins, at least, interprets as impoliteness — there are indications that Tomkins feels Finch oversteps the mark. Option D is incorrect because Finch keeps pushing himself and his views forward, which can hardly be described as ‘reserved’; also, though Finch shows himself to be ahead of the curve, and to that extent ‘efficient’, his haste and arrogance immediately undermine that and render him inefficient in his relationships with colleagues and superiors.

Item 21: In this item, students were required to decide why Tomkins is ‘pleased’ that Finch understands him. Option A suggests that Tomkins values Finch’s help; this is unlikely, since by this stage Tomkins is speaking with Finch through gritted teeth (line 27; students need to understand the import of that visual metaphor); this clearly indicates a measure of frustration. Option B implies that Tomkins is relieved that he is finally


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getting through to Finch; again, this too is unlikely — the extract suggests that Tomkins is becoming more rather than less tense. Option C takes the view that Tomkins is making an effort to show his appreciation for Finch’s contribution; this is incorrect. Tomkins’s efforts are directed toward keeping his cool; he is not expressing his appreciation. Tomkins says what is formally ‘polite’ rather than openly displaying his displeasure (even if he successfully conveys his displeasure in saying it; though if Finch recognises the irony in his superior’s comment, he chooses to ignore it). Option D is the key.

Item 22: This item required students to identify the change, over the course of the extract, in the way that Tomkins responds to Finch. Initially there is evidence that Tomkins sees some merit in Finch’s recent conduct. As the conversation progresses, Tomkins is put off balance by Finch’s insightful interjections. Finally, Tomkins is trying to control his frustration with the constable’s persistent interruptions. The key is therefore option A. Option B is incorrect because the narrator says that Tomkins is at that point trying to appear less official (line 5); next, Tomkins seems more critical of himself than Finch (line 20). In the end, Tomkins does not appear grateful but rather regretful of the fact that he must depend on Finch. Option C is incorrect because it would be going too far to say that the cautious Tomkins is initially ‘pleased’ with Finch; then, it is not anger that Tomkins experiences but surprise at Finch’s pushy efforts to impress him. Lastly, Tomkins is not ‘reconciled’ with Finch; rather, barriers seem to be forming. Option D is incorrect because Tomkins is not initially hesitant: he tests the waters with his first question to Finch and is satisfied; then, Finch’s over-eager attitude casts a question over Tomkins’s initial assessment of him. Tomkins seems less than encouraged; finally, Tomkins becomes increasingly frustrated with Finch — though his words are measured, Tomkins is not lukewarm toward Finch; rather, he appears to be becoming heated.

Unit 6 Moon phases

This unit is based on a graph showing the phases of the moon and the changing distance of the moon from the Earth, across five months in a particular year. The items in this unit required students to find and apply relevant information from the graph.

Unit 7 Malls

This unit is based on an opinion piece by Australian writer David Malouf on the social value of shopping malls.

Unit 8 Lucas numbers

This unit is based on the set of whole numbers known as Lucas numbers. The first fourteen Lucas numbers are given in a table. The method for generating the next term in the sequence — by adding together the two previous terms — is explained and exemplified.

Item 32: This item required students to extrapolate the sequence and find the value of the largest term with four digits. The sequence beyond the values given in the table continues … 1364, 2207, 3571, 5778, 9349, 15127, … Thus the largest Lucas number below 10000 is 9349, which is between 9000 and 9499. Thus option C is the key. The other options are based on miscalculations. For example, reversing the digits of L15 so that it reads 1463 instead of 1364 will result in L19 = 9844, which is option D. If 1364 is correctly calculated and then 521 is added instead of 843, the largest four-digit number in the sequence is 8383, which is option A. Keeping track of the terms in the sequence is made easier if the extended sequence is written down.

Item 33: Since two odd numbers always sum to an even number and an even number plus an odd number always sums to an odd number, the Ln row of the table exhibits an easily recognised pattern: odd-odd-even-odd-odd-even. This item invited students to choose which one of four generalisations matched the relationship between the numbers in the n row and those in the Ln row. Option B is the key — the n-values that match the even values of Ln are 3, 6, 9, 12, etc. Option A works only for n = 6 (Ln = 18). Option C works for n = 2 and 4 but not for n = 6. Option D works for Ln = 18 and n = 6 but not for L2 = 3 or L10 = 123, so counter-examples abound.

Item 34: The last digits of Lucas numbers follow a cyclic pattern that is 12-digits long. This item referred to the table and specified the first nine digits of the cycle to show what was meant. But to answer it successfully


it was necessary to find the length of the cycle and then apply it to find first where L91 is in the sequence and then what number it will have as its last digit. The 84th Lucas number will end in the same digit as the twelfth. Counting on, we get that the 91st Lucas number should end in the same digit as L7. This is 9, so option D is the key. Option B results from taking the remainder of 7 when 84 is divided into 91 instead of the seventh digit on the list. Option C involves miscounting from the start of the list or not counting far enough. Option A would have been chosen by those who miscalculated the length of the cycle or took the list of terminal digits given as the complete list and did not interrogate the table.

Item 35: This item tested whether the notation used in this unit was properly understood, since a careful explanation of the relationship between (Ln)2 and L2n was given in the introduction. A first reading eliminates options C and D, which depend on 82 = 64 being relevant, which is not so in this case. A second reading shows that for an even suffix (here 32), 2 has to be subtracted from rather than added to (Ln)2 to get L2n. This method can be easily confirmed using the values for L4 and L8 (for example) listed in the table. Option A gives 72 – 2 = 49 – 2 = 47 = L8 and is therefore the key. The technique used in option B gives (L6 )

2 + 2 = 182 + 2 = 324 + 2 = 326, but L12 = 322.

Item 36: Four Lucas numbers larger than those listed in the table were given. When 2786 is divided into one less than each one, only option C is a whole number (23), and since 23 is a prime number it follows the rule laid out in the additional information — 64079 is L23.

Item 37: The problem posed in this item — about how many digits the number L300 contains — can be solved with a rates approach. Using the fact that L78 ( 2 1016) has 17 digits, it can be calculated that L312 has about 4 17 = 68 digits. This provides an upper bound that falls between options A and B (63 and 74), suggesting the key should be option A. Alternatively, the additional information also contained the information that L705 has 148 digits. There are 627 (705 – 78) Lucas numbers between L78 and L705, which shows a length increase of 131 (148 – 17) digits. This suggests that, on average, the length of Lucas numbers increases by one digit every 627 ÷ 131 4.786 increase in the suffix. So L300 should have about (300 – 1) = 299 ÷ 4.786 62.47 digits making option A (63) the best estimate. Marshalling the abundance of clues about how to solve this problem and choosing which is the best way to arrive at the estimate was part of this problem. That L705 has 148 digits and 705 ÷ 300 = 2.35 can be used to calculate that L300 has about 148 ÷ 2.35 62.978 digits 63.

Unit 9 Poststructuralists

This unit’s extract comments on the probably unfamiliar subject matter of poststructualism and has a rather florid writing style. Despite appearances, students were not required to know anything about philosophy to gain a good understanding of the material.

Unit 10 Hydrocarbons

This unit was based on graphic conventions used to represent hydrocarbon molecules. The unit required skill in visualisation and pattern recognition.

Unit 11 Libraries

This unit is based on two opinions about the practice of culling library collections.


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MC II commentaryThis section gives a brief outline of each unit. Two units (22 and 23) are singled out for detailed analysis.

Unit 12 Idealists

The second testpaper opens with an item based on interpretation of a cartoon that comments on the differing perspectives of realists and idealists.

Unit 13 Training zones

This unit required students to manipulate several formulas that related maximum heart rate to age. The items involved substituting values into one or more of the formulas, or using simple algebra to solve problems.

Unit 14 Rematch

In this unit students worked with text that is a humorous and witty retake on the old fable about the hare and the tortoise.

Unit 15 Quotations

This unit required students to analyse a short quotation and to compare and contrast four other quotations.

Unit 16 Makruk

This unit is based on a board game from Thailand called Makruk. Movement rules were provided and students were required to understand how various pieces are permitted to move to be able to respond to the items.

Unit 17 Humorous story

The items in this unit are based on a text about the difference between what the author calls humorous stories and comic stories.

Unit 18 Lakes

This unit required students to locate and apply data about lakes. The data were presented in tabular form. Items included calculations and application of a formula for a measurement known as the shoreline development index.

Unit 19 Bats

This single-item unit required students to correctly describe the frequency of sound emitted by a bat, as represented in a graphical format.

Unit 20 Power

This unit is based on ways to measure the power output of electrical devices. The first item required students to translate a verbal description into mathematical symbols, while the second item required students to integrate two formulas and to substitute values into those formulas.

Unit 21 History

The items in this unit are based on an extract from a novel in which one of the characters gives his opinion about the writing of history.


Unit 22 Tone

In this unit, students were giveninformation about a siren that was used in 19th century experiments with musical tones. The siren consisted of a metal disc that was caused to spin on its axis by a drive belt attached to a hand-operated drive-wheel. The disc had holes arranged in a band near its circumference, so all the holes were equidistant from the centre of the disc and from each other. The outlet of a tube, the other end of which was connected to an air pump, was positioned over the band of holes. When the pump was turned on and the siren’s drive-wheel turned by hand, air ‘puffed’ though a hole whenever the tube outlet and a hole aligned. A series of rapid ‘puffs’ of air produced a tone.

Item 86: This item required students to determine how a siren with a 10-hole disc might produce a tone of the same pitch as one with a 12-hole disc. As the pitch of a tone depends on the number of ‘puffs’ per second, a siren with a 12-hole disc should spin more slowly than one with a 10-hole disc. The key is therefore option B. Option A is incorrect as it suggests that a siren with a 12-hole disc should spin faster than the other; this would produce a higher pitch. Options C and D are both incorrect because they suggest that placing the band of holes at different distances from the axis will have some effect on pitch. In fact, in a disc spinning on its axle, bands of holes nearer or further from the axis will pass the outlet of the tube at the same rate and will therefore produce the same pitch.

Item 87: Students were required to calculate the revolutions per minute that an 8-hole disc would need to complete to produce a tone of frequency 264 Hz. 264 puffs per second gives a frequency of 264 Hz, and an 8-hole disc is needed to complete a rotation 33 (264 ÷ 8) times per second to produce this frequency. In one minute, this disc will rotate 1980 (33 60) times. The key is thus option C. Option A gives the number of times per second. Option B uses the number of Hz. Option D multiplies the required Hz by the number of holes.

Item 88: This item describes a single disc that has three bands of holes at different distances from the axis. One band has 16 holes. This band gives a tone with a frequency times that of the second band, and the second band gives a frequency times that of the third band. Students were required to determine the number of holes in the third band. From the information given, the 16-hole band gives the highest frequency. So, the second band has three-quarters the number of holes as the first (12 holes), and the third has two-thirds the number of holes as the second band (8 holes). The key is thus option A. Option B is obtained by finding three-quarters of 16. Option C results from finding three-quarters of 16 and then multiplying 12 by . Option D results from multiplying 16 by the product of ; this yields 32.

Items 89–91 relied on some additional information relating to definitions of amplitude and wavelength.

Item 89: This item set up the following scenario: A person begins to turn the drive-wheel of a siren until a tone of a certain pitch is produced. The drive-wheel is then released and the siren allowed to slow down and return to silence. Four representations of changing frequency and amplitude were given and students were asked to choose the one that best graphed the stipulated scenario. Option A graphed a tone that maintained a constant pitch throughout, beginning quietly, becoming gradually louder and then gradually quieter until it was silent. Option B began with a high-pitched, quiet tone; as it became louder, it also became lower in pitch; the tone then became quieter and higher in pitch. Option C began with a quiet, highly-pitched tone; as it became louder it became lower in pitch and continued to become lower pitched as it returned to silence. With option D, the tone began quietly at a low pitch; as it increased in pitch it also became louder; it then became lower in pitch as it returned to silence. Option D is therefore the key.

For Items 90 and 91, further additional information was given in the form of a graph that showed the frequency wave patterns for three different tones labelled P, Q and R.

Item 90: Students were required to determine the frequency (in Hz) of tone Q. According to the graph, tone Q vibrates five times in 0.015 seconds; in one second there will be vibrations; this gives about 330 Hz; thus option C is the key. To obtain option A the graph is misread to give 3.3 vibrations in 0.015 seconds; this gives 220 Hz. Option B is the frequency for tone P (4 vibrations in 0.015 seconds) while option D is the frequency of tone R (6 vibrations in 0.015 seconds).

43

32

32

43

32

50.015


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Item 91: Using the wavelength information for tones P and R, students were required to find a conversion factor that would give the number of holes needed to produce tone R based on the number of holes that produce tone P. In the same time period, P vibrates four times and R vibrates six times. As R vibrates more rapidly than P, the disc for R would require more holes. So, the number of holes in the disc for P should be multiplied by 6 and divided by 4, or multiplied by . The key is therefore option A. Option B results if the need to increase the number of holes is misunderstood and the correct procedure is inverted, which would convert R to P. Option C uses a correct procedure, but finds the conversion factor from Q to R. Option D uses an incorrect procedure and finds the factor to convert Q to P.

Unit 23 Sundial

This unit is based on an extract from a play about a man named Ian Joyce and his wife Eloise, who believe that sundials are a much better way of keeping time than mechanical timepieces like clocks and watches.

Item 92: Ian’s opposition to mechanical timepieces is that, being mechanical, they inevitably run fast or slow and so cannot be trusted. Sundials, by contrast, passively reflect (are ‘acted upon’ by) the natural movement of the sun, and thus cannot go wrong. It is the naturalness of the sundial’s operation that is important to Ian, since he equates naturalness to truth (line 29). Thus option B is the key. Option A is incorrect because Ian is not primarily interested in the sundial’s precision; he knows there are ways to correct any imprecision. Option C is incorrect, because the point of the sundial is that it continues to work properly without human intervention. Though building a sundial obviously requires some skill, it is not the level of skill that is at issue in the context of line 2; therefore option D is incorrect.

Item 93: In lines 20–27, Eloise’s curious mix of zeal and self-doubt have her saying things that are guaranteed to get Mrs Stubbs’s back up. We can appreciate that Mrs Stubbs feels she is being falsely accused by Eloise; option C is therefore the key. Given what we may infer from the extract, Ian is a bit arrogant and self-important. It is very likely that he (and possibly to some extent Eloise as well) looks down on Mrs Stubbs and her husband as being basically ignorant. But there is no evidence in the extract that Mrs Stubbs herself thinks the Joyces regard her and her husband as inferior; therefore option A is incorrect. Option B is incorrect because the Joyces are not in fact advocating that Mrs Stubbs live by a different time zone. Option D is incorrect because there is no evidence in the extract that Mrs Stubbs thinks she is the butt of a practical joke; on the contrary, her anger stems from her belief that the Joyces are being serious in their ‘criticism’ of her.

Item 94: Mrs Stubbs might be feisty and stubborn, and it is clear she knows little about sundials. But it cannot be argued that makes her naive or old-fashioned. It needs to be remembered that, as a technology, the sundial is old-fashioned as opposed to mechanical timepieces; so in fact it is the Joyces who might justly be accused of being old-fashioned, not Mrs Stubbs. It is doubtful that ignorance of an obsolete technology renders someone ‘naive’. Option A is incorrect. Certainly Mrs Stubbs comes across as being straightforward in her manner and has an everyday knowledge of timekeeping technology. She can be described as being ‘unsophisticated’. Lines 20–28 give the impression that Mrs Stubbs is an innocent; her sharp retort in line 31 makes it clear to us that she is nobody’s fool after all she can see through Ian’s bluster. Option B is the key. There is little evidence to sustain the notion that Mrs Stubbs is argumentative and obstinate (option C). Her defence of herself and her husband against Eloise’s hamfisted comments is entirely reasonable. Nor does Mrs Stubbs offer counterarguments to Ian’s comments in favour of sundials. She is certainly feisty, but not obstinate. As stated above, in line 31 Mrs Stubbs reveals herself to be wise to Ian’s bluster. She understands more than the Joyces think she does. So it is incorrect to say she is unable to understand the simplest things (option D).

Item 95: This item required students to choose pairs of words that best described Eloise’s personality. Option A is incorrect because there is no evidence that Eloise is either sceptical or questioning; on the contrary, she consistently supports her husband, and never questions his authority; in lines 15 and 16 she defers to his judgment. Option B is partly correct because Eloise does at least have kindly intentions toward Mrs Stubbs, even if she keeps putting her foot in her mouth and making the situation worse; but Eloise is the opposite of self-possessed — she is at sea, emotionally unstable, and looks for guidance from her husband. Option C is incorrect because Eloise demonstrates no ability to control the situation, particularly in relation to her interaction with Mrs Stubbs; Eloise’s slavish deference to her husband should not be misconstrued as

32


inflexibility. Option D is the key: throughout the extract Eloise acts melodramatically — she grieves, she runs, she is in distress, and all over trivial matters, unlike Ian, who would never condescend to helping someone like Mrs Stubbs, Eloise at least tries to engage with her (in her own very clumsy way), and this reflects Eloise’s essential sensitivity.

Item 96: This item required students to understand the subtext of Ian’s final comment in this conversation. To do this properly, students need to have thought carefully about all of Ian’s other comments during the conversation, which together inform the meaning of this final comment. Option A can be eliminated easily, since neither in this comment nor in any previous comments has Ian shown the slightest doubt about his belief in sundials. Option B is incorrect because Ian’s final comment does not constitute an argument as such; rather, it stands closer to an affirmation of faith. Option D can be eliminated for similar reasons: since Ian is not presenting a reasoned argument with his final comment, he cannot be said to be a ‘voice of reason’; also, ‘lonely’ is not a word that one can readily attribute to Ian, given all his comments in this conversation. Ian’s final comment is a sort of stubborn — almost fanatical — affirmation of belief, dismissive of all other opinions. Option C is therefore the key.

Unit 24 Conscience

This unit required students to unpack the meanings of seven comments about conscience, and to compare and contrast their meanings.

Common Curriculum Elements (CCEs) and the MC formatOf the 49 CCEs, the following cannot be tested directly in MC format, though a few CCEs such as graphing, summarising and manipulating equipment, may be tested at ‘second order’ i.e. indirectly:• 11 Summarising/condensing written text• 12 Compiling lists/statistics• 13 Recording/noting data• 14 Compiling results in a tabular form• 15 Graphing• 20 Setting out/presenting/arranging/displaying• 21 Structuring/organising extended written text• 22 Structuring/organising a mathematical argument• 26 Explaining to others• 27 Expounding a viewpoint• 46 Creating/composing/devising• 53 Observing systematically• 55 Gesturing• 57 Manipulating/operating/using equipment• 60 Sketching/drawing.

These CCEs can be validly tested in SR format.


12

Short Response (SR)This year’s SR subtest comprised 16 items across nine units. As students worked through each unit, they interacted with stimulus material, which was chosen to be challenging and engaging. Test developers paid careful attention to framing each item in a way that made it accessible to most students. The SR testpaper comprised units with stimulus material selected from fields such as mathematics, science, history, the social sciences and literature.

This year’s paper was varied in its content, covering a broad range of CCEs. The different tasks included determining cost, ratios, materials for a job, designing to specifications, measuring carefully and constructing circles, interpreting advertisements, creating a play-on-words, providing clear explanations and describing how an actor could convey meaning.

Model responses and commentaries on student performance

What follows is an item-by-item report that includes model responses and marking schemes, tables and graphs of the distributions of grades, and commentaries that discuss the tasks. At times, references to specific student responses are included to exemplify observations. As much as possible, model responses are actual student responses. Model responses are those that demonstrate a high level of performance and would have been awarded the highest grade.

For some items, especially the more open-ended ones, responses were extremely varied. For these responses it is not possible to provide examples of the many ways students responded. The detailed, item-specific marking schemes indicate the scope of acceptable responses for different grades. Even for the more closed items the marking schemes demonstrate that different ways of perceiving ‘the solution’ were able to gain credit.

Marking schemes

The marking schemes used during the marking operation and included in this section of the Retrospective are not designed to be read in isolation. They are only one element of the marking prescription. During the marking operation, markers undergo rigorous training in how to apply the marking schemes to student responses of one marking unit. The training involves careful consideration and application of the material presented by immersers.

All SR items are double marked. This means that a student’s response booklet is marked by at least 10 different, independent markers. Referee marking also occurs when necessary.

For organisational purposes during the marking operation, the testpaper units were grouped into five marking units. In 2016, Marking Unit 1 contained testpaper units One and Seven, Marking Unit 2 contained testpaper units Two and Eight, Marking Unit 3 contained testpaper units Three and Five, Marking Unit 4 contained testpaper units Four and Six and Marking Unit 9 contained testpaper unit Nine.

Each marking scheme provides descriptors for up to five creditable grades, as well as the non-contributory grades N (where the response is unintelligible or does not satisfy the requirements of any other grade) and O (where no response has been given).


SR 2016 summary

Note: CCEs specific to an item are listed on the item’s marking scheme.The baskets into which CCEs are grouped are shown in Appendix 3.

Unit Item Basket Common Curriculum Elements by unit

OneDrafts

1 10 Using vocabulary appropriate to a context52 Searching and locating … information

TwoSyrups

2 16 Calculating with or without calculators17 Estimating numerical magnitude37 Applying a progression of steps to achieve the required answer44 Synthesising3

ThreeTom S

4 4 Interpreting the meaning of words …10 Using vocabulary appropriate to a context26 Explaining to others31 Interrelating … themes …46 Creating/composing/devising

5

FourBlocks

6 16 Calculating with or without calculators20 Setting out/presenting/arranging/displaying43 Analysing50 Visualising53 Observing systematically

7

FiveBlurb

8 11 Summarising/condensing written text31 Interrelating ideas/themes/issues44 Synthesising

SixWindows

9 16 Calculating with or without calculators19 Substituting in formulae32 Reaching a conclusion which is necessarily true provided a given set of

assumptions is true37 Applying a progression of steps to achieve the required answer43 Analysing57 Manipulating/operating/using equipment

10

SevenSmoking

11 4 Interpreting the meaning of words …5 Interpreting the meaning of … illustrations

26 Explaining to others27 Expounding a viewpoint31 Interrelating 43 Analysing48 Justifying

12

EightSprinklers

13 2 Finding material in an indexed collection

17 Estimating numerical magnitude22 Structuring … a mathematical argument35 Extrapolating37 Applying a progression of steps to achieve the required answer44 Synthesising

14

NineStudents

15 12 Compiling lists …26 Explaining to others28 Empathising33 Inferring43 Analysing52 Searching and locating … information55 Gesturing

16


14

Unit OneThe item in this unit is based on an extract describing a walk through part of an Australian city.

The following table shows the percentage of responses awarded the various grades for the item in this unit.

Item 1

Commentary

Item 1 is a two-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 10 Using vocabulary appropriate to a context and 52 Searching and locating … information.

This item required students to find the best match from the extract for the given phrases.

An A-grade response needed to provide five exact phrases matched correctly.

In some responses, more words than were needed to match the given phrase were provided and this did not show full command of vocabulary.

Students should remember that it is important to follow the directions in the stem. When directed to provide exact phrases, students should not give extra words.

Model response

A B C D E N O

Item 1 24.6 20.3 31.7 21.6 1.8

A shaded box indicates that the grade was not available for that item.

A B C N O

100%

tcartxe eht ni desu esarhp esarhp tfard-tsrif

sun-drenched expanses

peripheral mercantile areas

strange but dreary incentives

pleasant secluded suburb

imposing distinction

(for) shadeless miles

(of) marginal commercial districts

surreally unappealing inducements

(a) lovely hidden borough

(often) impressive venerability


PER

FOR

MA

NC

E D

OM

AIN

Ma

rkin

g S

ch

em

e

Mark

ing

Un

it 1

1 o

f 3

UN

IT O

NE

ITE

M 1

Mod

el R

espo

nse:

first

-dra

ft ph

rase

phra

se u

sed

in th

e ex

tract

... su

n-dr

ench

ed e

xpan

ses

(for

) sha

dele

ss m

iles

... p

erip

hera

l mer

cant

ile a

reas

(of)

mar

gina

l com

mer

cial

dis

tric

ts

... st

rang

e bu

t dre

ary

ince

ntiv

essu

rrea

lly u

napp

ealin

g in

duce

men

ts

... p

leas

ant s

eclu

ded

subu

rb(a

) lov

ely

hidd

en b

orou

gh

... im

posi

ng d

istin

ctio

n(o

ften

) im

pres

sive

ven

erab

ility

N

Res

pons

e is

un

inte

lligi

ble

or d

oes n

ot

satis

fy th

e re

quir

emen

ts

for

any

othe

r gr

ade. O

No

resp

onse

ha

s bee

n m

ade

at a

ny ti

me.

10U

sing

voc

abul

ary

appr

opri

ate

to a

con

text

52Se

arch

ing

and

loca

ting

� in

form

atio

n

C

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

�tw

o ex

act p

hras

es m

atch

ed c

orre

ctly

.

The

res

pons

e, a

llow

ing

for

at m

ost o

ne m

issi

ng w

ord

each

, pr

ovid

es

�fo

ur o

f the

req

uire

d ph

rase

s mat

ched

cor

rect

ly.

OR

A

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

�th

e fiv

e ex

act p

hras

es m

atch

ed c

orre

ctly

.

B

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

�fo

ur e

xact

phr

ases

mat

ched

cor

rect

ly.

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

�th

ree

exac

t phr

ases

mat

ched

cor

rect

ly

and,

add

ition

ally

, allo

win

g fo

r at

mos

t one

mis

sing

wor

d ea

ch,

�tw

o of

the

requ

ired

phr

ases

mat

ched

cor

rect

ly.

OR

Not

es:

1.Th

e on

ly a

ccep

tabl

e ad

ditio

nal w

ord

for

each

phr

ase

is sh

own

in b

rack

ets i

n th

e m

odel

res

pons

e.

2.A

s lon

g as

the

wor

d is

una

mbi

guou

sly r

ecog

nisa

ble,

inco

rrec

t spe

lling

is

tole

rate

d.

3.M

atch

ing

the

exac

t phr

ase

corr

ectly

oth

er th

an b

y w

ritin

g th

e w

ords

in th

e sp

ace

prov

ided

, is o

nly

acce

ptab

le w

hen

the

mat

ch is

una

mbi

guou

s.


16

Unit TwoThe items in this unit are based on the costs and mixes of three different cordial syrups.

The following table shows the percentage of responses awarded the various grades for the items in this unit.

Item 2

Commentary

Item 2 is a two-star item that tested achievement in CCE 16 Calculating with or without calculators.

This item presented students with a table showing three different cordial syrups, the volumes of the bottles they are sold in and their prices. Columns to record the price per 100 mL of syrup, the recommended mix (in terms of parts of water per one part of cordial syrup) and the cost of a 250 mL drink of the prepared cordial are also part of the table. Students were required to find the price per 100 mL of two of the syrups.

The cue instructed students to show all steps and to give the prices in cents.

An A-grade response needed to show working that resulted in the correct price, in cents, for the syrups named Fresola and Cherizade.

Some responses gave answers in dollars rather than the cents required by the cue and thus could not be awarded the highest grade.

Rates problems always require correct placement of the quantities being compared. The rate required, i.e. cents per 100 mL (cost divided by volume), was in some responses replaced by mL per cent (volume divided by cost). Using the required units of measurement, A per B always means quantity A divided by quantity B.It is always important to check any results for reasonableness.

Model response

A B C D E N O

Item 2 65.2 5.3 4.9 20.5 4.1

Item 3 19.4 7.7 22.8 2.7 35.4 12.1


A B C N O

100%

Based on the bottle size and the selling price of Fresola and Cherizade, find the price per 100 mL of each of those syrups.

.........................................................................................

.........................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

Show all steps.

Give the prices in cents.

2500 mL costs $4.36

100 mL costs x

cost of 100 mL of Fresola = 17.4 c

x = 100 ÷ 2500 × 436

= 17.44 c

1500 mL costs $3.95

100 mL costs x

cost of 100 mL of Cherizade = 26.3 c

x = 100 ÷ 1500 × 395

= 26.33 c


PER

FOR

MA

NC

E D

OM

AIN

Ma

rkin

g S

ch

em

e

Mark

ing

Un

it 2

1 o

f 5

UN

IT T

WO

ITE

M 2

N

Res

pons

e is

un

inte

lligi

ble

or d

oes n

ot

satis

fy th

e re

quir

emen

ts

for

any

othe

r gr

ade. O

No

resp

onse

ha

s bee

n m

ade

at a

ny ti

me.

16C

alcu

latin

g w

ith o

r w

ithou

t cal

cula

tors

C

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

�th

e co

rrec

t pri

ce fo

r Fr

esol

a in

cen

ts o

r do

llars

.

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

�th

e co

rrec

t pri

ce fo

r C

heri

zade

in c

ents

or

dolla

rs.

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es fo

r bo

th F

reso

la a

nd C

heri

zade

�ev

iden

ce o

f the

rel

evan

t pri

ce d

ivid

ed b

y th

e co

rres

pond

ing

volu

me.

OR

OR

A

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es w

orki

ng r

esul

ting

in

�th

e co

rrec

t pri

ce fo

r Fr

esol

a in

cen

ts�

the

corr

ect p

rice

for

Che

riza

de in

cen

ts.

No

inco

rrec

t inf

orm

atio

n or

wor

king

is u

sed

to o

btai

n th

e an

swer

s.

B

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

�th

e co

rrec

t pri

ce fo

r Fr

esol

a in

cen

ts o

r do

llars

�th

e co

rrec

t pri

ce fo

r C

heri

zade

in c

ents

or

dolla

rs.

The

res

pons

e, a

llow

ing

for

at m

ost o

ne o

bser

vabl

e m

echa

nica

l err

or a

nd c

onse

quen

tially

cor

rect

wor

king

as

appl

icab

le, p

rovi

des

�a

pric

e fo

r Fr

esol

a gi

ven

in c

ents

or

dolla

rs�

a pr

ice

for

Che

riza

de g

iven

in c

ents

or

dolla

rs.

OR

Not

es:

1.T

he c

orre

ct p

rice

per

100

mL

for

Fres

ola

in c

ents

is 1

7.44

, 17.

4 or

17.

2.T

he c

orre

ct p

rice

per

100

mL

for

Che

riza

de in

cen

ts is

26.

3 re

curr

ing,

26.

3 or

26.

3.T

he c

orre

ct p

rice

per

100

mL

for

Fres

ola

in d

olla

rs is

$0.

1744

, $0.

174

or $

0.17

.

4.T

he c

orre

ct p

rice

per

100

mL

for

Che

riza

de in

dol

lars

is $

0.26

3 re

curr

ing,

$0.

263

or $

0.26

.

5.A

n ob

serv

able

mec

hani

cal e

rror

is a

tran

scri

ptio

n er

ror,

an in

corr

ect r

esul

t to

a co

rrec

tly st

ated

op

erat

ion

or in

appr

opri

ate

roun

ding

.

6.A

ppro

pria

te m

ovem

ent o

f the

dec

imal

poi

nt w

ithou

t a st

ated

ope

ratio

n is

acc

epta

ble.

Mod

el R

espo

nse:

2500

mL

cos

ts $

4.36

100

mL

cos

ts x

x =

100

÷ 25

00 ×

436

= 1

7.44

c

cost

of 1

00 m

L o

f Fre

sola

= 1

7.4

c

1500

mL

cos

ts $

3.95

100

mL

cos

ts x

x =

100

÷ 15

00 ×

395

= 2

6.33

c

cost

of 1

00 m

L o

f Che

riza

de =

26.

3 c


18

Item 3

Commentary

Item 3 is a three-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 17 Estimating numerical magnitude, 44 Synthesising and 37 Applying a progression of steps to achieve a required answer.

This item comprised two parts. In the first part, students were required to calculate the cost of a 250 mL drink of cordial using Fresola syrup with the recommended mix stated in the table. In the second part, students had to determine the mix that should be recommended for Cherizade, so that the cost for a 250 mL drink of this cordial would be 9.4 cents.

The cue for the first part directed students to show all steps and to give the cost in cents. In the second part, the students were directed to show all steps again and to make their reasoning clear.

An A-grade response needed to show correct working for the first part that provided the correct cost of the 250 mL of Fresola in cents and, for the second part, provided the recommended mix of 6 parts water to 1 part syrup. The reasoning needed to be evident and clear and no incorrect information, calculations or reasoning could be used to obtain the answers.

Responses showed a variety of methods were used in the two parts of this item. For the first part, the knowledge of ratio was demonstrated when the mix of 4:1 was correctly interpreted as needing to find one-fifth of 250 mL as the amount of syrup in the cordial drink to then be able to calculate the cost. In the second part, one of the many valid methods that could be used to find the recommended mix was to reverse the procedure used in the first part. Once again it was necessary to understand the concept of ratio as a fraction.

Students should expect that the calculations or steps used in the first part of an item could be useful in determining the solution to the second part as this is generally how items with multiple parts are constructed. This is helpful with time management.

A B C N O

100%

D


Model response

I. Calculate the cost of a 250 mL drink of cordial made using Fresola syrup. Assume that the recommended mix is used.

...................................................................................

...................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

II. Determine the mix that should be recommended for Cherizade so that the cost for a 250 mL drink of cordial made using that syrup would be 9.4 cents.

.........................................................................................

.........................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

Show all steps.

Give the cost in cents.

Show all steps.

Make your reasoning clear.

mix 4 parts water to 1 part syrup therefore 5 parts in total

volume of syrup in the drink = 250 mL ÷ 5 parts = 50 mL/part

cost of syrup per mL = 436 c ÷ 2500 mL = 0.1744 c/mL

cost of drink = 0.1744 × 50 = 8.72 c

cost of syrup per mL = 395 c ÷ 1500 mL = 0.2633 c/mL

volume of syrup in a drink = 9.4 c ÷ 0.2633 c/mL = 35.7 mL

parts in a drink = 250 mL ÷ 35.7 mL = 7.0027

so there are 7 parts each of 35.7 mL, one of which is syrup

parts of water = 7 – 1 = 6 parts

the recommended mix is 6 parts water to 1 part syrup


20

UN

IT T

WO

ITE

M 3

PER

FOR

MA

NC

E D

OM

AIN

Ma

rkin

g S

ch

em

e

Mark

ing

Un

it 2

2 o

f 5

N

Res

pons

e is

un

inte

lligi

ble

or d

oes n

ot

satis

fy th

e re

quir

emen

ts

for

any

othe

r gr

ade. O

No

resp

onse

ha

s bee

n m

ade

at a

ny ti

me.

17E

stim

atin

g nu

mer

ical

mag

nitu

de

44Sy

nthe

sisi

ng

37A

pply

ing

a pr

ogre

ssio

n of

step

s to

achi

eve

the

requ

ired

ans

wer

C

The

res

pons

e sh

ows c

orre

ct w

orki

ng th

at

for

part

I pr

ovid

es

�th

e co

rrec

t cos

t of t

he 2

50 m

L d

rink

of

Fres

ola

in c

ents

or

dolla

rs.

The

res

pons

e

for

part

I, a

llow

ing

for

at m

ost o

ne

obse

rvab

le m

echa

nica

l err

or a

nd a

ny

cons

eque

ntia

lly c

orre

ct w

orki

ng a

s ap

plic

able

, pro

vide

s

�a

cost

of t

he 2

50 m

L d

rink

of F

reso

la in

ce

nts o

r do

llars

for

part

II p

rovi

des

�so

me

corr

ect w

orki

ng th

at c

ould

be

used

to

obt

ain

the

reco

mm

ende

d m

ix.

The

res

pons

e

for

part

II, a

llow

ing

for

at m

ost o

ne

obse

rvab

le m

echa

nica

l err

or a

nd a

ny

cons

eque

ntia

lly c

orre

ct w

orki

ng a

s ap

plic

able

, pro

vide

s

�a

mix

of w

ater

to sy

rup.

No

inco

rrec

t rea

soni

ng is

use

d to

obt

ain

the

answ

er.

OR

OR

A

The

res

pons

e sh

ows c

orre

ct w

orki

ng th

at

for

part

I pr

ovid

es

�th

e co

rrec

t cos

t of t

he 2

50 m

L d

rink

of

Fres

ola

in c

ents

for

part

II p

rovi

des

�th

e re

com

men

ded

mix

of

6 pa

rts w

ater

to 1

par

t syr

up.

The

rea

soni

ng is

evi

dent

and

cle

ar.

No

inco

rrec

t inf

orm

atio

n, c

alcu

latio

ns o

r re

ason

ing

are

used

to o

btai

n th

e an

swer

s.

B

The

res

pons

e sh

ows c

orre

ct w

orki

ng th

at

for

part

I pr

ovid

es

�th

e co

rrec

t cos

t of t

he 2

50 m

L d

rink

of

Fres

ola

in c

ents

or

dolla

rs

for

part

II p

rovi

des

�th

e 25

0 m

L d

rink

com

pris

es 7

par

ts o

f w

ater

and

syru

p.

The

rea

soni

ng is

evi

dent

and

cle

ar.

No

inco

rrec

t inf

orm

atio

n, c

alcu

latio

ns o

r re

ason

ing

are

used

to o

btai

n th

e cr

edita

ble

part

s of t

he a

nsw

ers.

The

res

pons

e, a

llow

ing

for

at m

ost o

ne

obse

rvab

le m

echa

nica

l err

or a

nd a

ny

cons

eque

ntia

lly c

orre

ct w

orki

ng a

s ap

plic

able

,

for

part

I pr

ovid

es

�a

cost

of t

he 2

50 m

L d

rink

of F

reso

la in

ce

nts o

r do

llars

for

part

II p

rovi

des

�a

mix

of w

ater

to sy

rup.

Som

e ind

icat

ion

of w

hat i

s bei

ng ca

lcul

ated

is

pro

vide

d.

No

inco

rrec

t rea

soni

ng is

use

d to

obt

ain

the

answ

ers.

OR

D

The

res

pons

e

for

part

I, a

llow

ing

for

at m

ost o

ne

obse

rvab

le m

echa

nica

l err

or a

nd a

ny

cons

eque

ntia

lly c

orre

ct w

orki

ng a

s ap

plic

able

, pro

vide

s

�a

cost

of t

he 2

50 m

L d

rink

of F

reso

la in

ce

nts o

r do

llars

.

The

res

pons

e

for

part

II p

rovi

des

�so

me

corr

ect w

orki

ng th

at c

ould

be

used

to

obt

ain

the

reco

mm

ende

d m

ix.

OR

Not

es:

1.T

he re

ason

ing

is e

vide

nt a

nd c

lear

if n

o in

fere

nces

nee

d be

mad

e.

2.T

he c

orre

ct c

ost o

f the

250

mL

dri

nk o

f Fr

esol

a in

cen

ts is

8.7

2, 8

.7, 8

.5 o

r 9.

3.T

he c

orre

ct c

ost o

f the

250

mL

dri

nk o

f Fr

esol

a in

dol

lars

is $

0.08

72, $

0.08

7,

$0.0

85 o

r $0

.09.

4.A

n ob

serv

able

mec

hani

cal e

rror

is a

tr

ansc

ript

ion

erro

r, an

inco

rrec

t res

ult

to a

cor

rect

ly st

ated

ope

ratio

n or

in

appr

opri

ate

roun

ding

.

Mod

el R

espo

nse:

I. mix

4 p

arts

wat

er to

1 p

art s

yrup

ther

efor

e 5

part

s in

tota

lvo

lum

e of

syru

p in

the

drin

k =

250

mL

÷ 5

par

ts =

50

mL

/par

tco

st o

f syr

up p

er m

L =

436

c ÷

250

0 m

L =

0.17

44 c

/mL

cost

of d

rink

= 0

.174

4 ×

50 =

8.7

2 c

II.

cost

of s

yrup

per

mL

= 3

95 c

÷ 1

500

mL

= 0.

2633

c/m

Lvo

lum

e of

syru

p in

a d

rink

= 9

.4 c

÷ 0

.263

3 c/

mL

= 3

5.7

mL

part

s in

a dr

ink

= 25

0 m

L ÷

35.7

mL

= 7

.002

7 so

ther

e ar

e 7

part

s eac

h of

35.

7 m

L, o

ne o

f whi

ch is

syru

ppa

rts o

f wat

er =

7 �

1 =

6 p

arts

the

reco

mm

ende

d m

ix is

6 p

arts

wat

er to

1 p

art s

yrup


Unit ThreeThe items in this unit are based on a type of deliberate play-on-words called Tom Swiftlys. The name is based on the way the main character spoke in a series of adventure stories written in the early 1900s.


Item 4

Commentary

Item 4 is a three-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 4 Interpreting the meaning of words, 10 Using vocabulary appropriate to a context and 26 Explaining to others.

The introduction to this unit familiarised students with the concept of a Tom Swiftly. Two examples were given and analysed. These acted as models to assist students when answering the item. This item required students to analyse two given Tom Swiftlys.

An A-grade response required, for each Tom Swiftly, provision of an appropriate meaning for the adverb, an explanation of a suitable context for speaking in the manner of the adverb and a suitable link between the stem of the adverb and the spoken words.

The meaning given for the adverb had to make sense according to the particular Tom Swiftly and the context needed to address the reason for the words to be spoken that way, e.g. as a (blunt) demand for the sharpener or viewing one’s appearance in the mirror (reflectively).

Students should make use of any models given in the stimulus of an item and use these to provide a structure for their responses.

A B C D E N O

Item 4 12.3 18.1 33.0 31.7 2.6 2.4

Item 5 5.6 21.0 57.6 11.4 2.1 2.3


A B C N O

100%

D


22

Model response

Analyse the two Tom Swiftlys that follow. Use the examples above as a guide.

‘I need your pencil sharpener !’ Tom said bluntly.

MEANING OF ADVERB AND WHY IT IS SUITABLE — .................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

LINK TO THE SPOKEN WORDS — ......................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

‘I don’t like the way I look in that mirror,’ Tom said reflectively.

MEANING OF ADVERB AND WHY IT IS SUITABLE — .................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

LINK TO THE SPOKEN WORDS — ......................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

‘Bluntly’ can mean very direct and serious. In the context of asking for something

that is needed desperately, that is how Tom could say those words.

‘Reflect’ can mean to critique with the benefit of hindsight. Since Tom is looking into a

mirror and he would be critiquing his own image, that is how Tom could say those words.

Blunt is a description a pencil is given when it needs to be sharpened.

A reflection is something a mirror produces.


UN

IT T

HR

EE

ITE

M 4

PER

FOR

MA

NC

E D

OM

AIN

Ma

rkin

g S

ch

em

e

Mark

ing

Un

it 3

1 o

f 5

N

Res

pons

e is

un

inte

lligi

ble

or d

oes n

ot

satis

fy th

e re

quir

emen

ts

for

any

othe

r gr

ade. O

No

resp

onse

ha

s bee

n m

ade

at a

ny ti

me.

4In

terp

retin

g th

e m

eani

ng o

f wor

ds �

10U

sing

voc

abul

ary

appr

opri

ate

to a

con

text

26E

xpla

inin

g to

oth

ers

C

The

resp

onse

, for

one

Tom

Sw

iftly

, pro

vide

s

�an

app

ropr

iate

mea

ning

for

the

adve

rb�

an e

xpla

natio

n of

a su

itabl

e co

ntex

t for

sp

eaki

ng in

the

man

ner

of th

e ad

verb

�a

suita

ble

link

betw

een

the

stem

of t

he

adve

rb a

nd th

e sp

oken

wor

ds.

No

inco

rrec

t or

cont

radi

ctor

y st

atem

ents

ar

e m

ade.

The

res

pons

e, fo

r ea

ch T

om S

wift

ly

prov

ides

TW

O o

f

�an

app

ropr

iate

mea

ning

for

the

adve

rb�

an e

xpla

natio

n of

a su

itabl

e co

ntex

t for

sp

eaki

ng in

the

man

ner

of th

e ad

verb

�a

suita

ble

link

betw

een

the

stem

of t

he

adve

rb a

nd th

e sp

oken

wor

ds.

OR

A

The

res

pons

e, fo

r ea

ch T

om S

wift

ly,

prov

ides

�an

app

ropr

iate

mea

ning

for

the

adve

rb�

an e

xpla

natio

n of

a su

itabl

e co

ntex

t for

sp

eaki

ng in

the

man

ner

of th

e ad

verb

�a

suita

ble

link

betw

een

the

stem

of t

he

adve

rb a

nd th

e sp

oken

wor

ds.

No

inco

rrec

t or

cont

radi

ctor

y st

atem

ents

ar

e m

ade.

B

The

resp

onse

, for

one

Tom

Sw

iftly

, pro

vide

s

�an

app

ropr

iate

mea

ning

for

the

adve

rb�

an e

xpla

natio

n of

a su

itabl

e co

ntex

t for

sp

eaki

ng in

the

man

ner

of th

e ad

verb

�a

suita

ble

link

betw

een

the

stem

of t

he

adve

rb a

nd th

e sp

oken

wor

ds.

No

inco

rrec

t or

cont

radi

ctor

y st

atem

ents

ar

e m

ade.

AN

D

The

res

pons

e, fo

r th

e ot

her

Tom

Sw

iftly

, pr

ovid

es

�an

app

ropr

iate

mea

ning

for

the

adve

rb

and

EIT

HER

�an

exp

lana

tion

of a

suita

ble

cont

ext f

or

spea

king

in th

e m

anne

r of

the

adve

rb

OR

�a

suita

ble

link

betw

een

the

stem

of t

he

adve

rb a

nd th

e sp

oken

wor

ds.

D

The

res

pons

e, a

cros

s the

two

Tom

Sw

iftly

s, pr

ovid

es T

WO

of

�an

app

ropr

iate

mea

ning

for

the

adve

rb�

an e

xpla

natio

n of

a su

itabl

e co

ntex

t for

sp

eaki

ng in

the

man

ner

of th

e ad

verb

�a

suita

ble

link

betw

een

the

stem

of t

he

adve

rb a

nd th

e sp

oken

wor

ds.

Not

e:1.

An

adve

rb c

anno

t be e

xpla

ined

in te

rms

of it

self.

Mod

el R

espo

nse:

�I n

eed

your

pen

cil s

harp

ener

!� T

om sa

id b

lunt

ly.

ME

AN

ING

OF

AD

VER

B A

ND

WH

Y IT

IS S

UIT

AB

LE

�

�Blu

ntly

� can

mea

n ve

ry d

irec

t and

seri

ous.

In th

e co

ntex

t of a

skin

g fo

r so

met

hing

that

is

need

ed d

espe

rate

ly, t

hat i

s how

Tom

cou

ld sa

y th

ose

wor

ds.

LIN

K T

O T

HE

SPO

KE

N W

OR

DS

�

Blu

nt is

a d

escr

iptio

n a

penc

il is

giv

en w

hen

it ne

eds t

o be

shar

pene

d.

�I d

on�t

like

the

way

I lo

ok in

that

mir

ror,�

Tom

said

refle

ctiv

ely.

ME

AN

ING

OF

AD

VER

B A

ND

WH

Y IT

IS S

UIT

AB

LE

�

�Ref

lect

� can

mea

n to

cri

tique

with

the

bene

fit o

f hin

dsig

ht. S

ince

Tom

is lo

okin

g in

to a

mir

ror

and

he w

ould

be

criti

quin

g hi

s ow

n im

age,

that

is h

ow T

om c

ould

say

thos

e w

ords

.

LIN

K T

O T

HE

SPO

KE

N W

OR

DS

�

A r

efle

ctio

n is

som

ethi

ng a

mir

ror

prod

uces

.


24

Item 5

Commentary

Item 5 is a three-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 31 Interrelating … themes, 46 Creating/composing and 10 Using vocabulary appropriate to a context.

This item comprised two parts. In the first part, for each of the given sentences students were required to select the most suitable adverb (from the list in the highlighted section) to complete the sentence as a Tom Swiftly.

In the second part, students had to craft appropriate spoken words to form a Tom Swiftly that ends with ‘Tom said softly’. The cue for this part instructed students to check that their words did indeed create a Tom Swiftly as described in this unit.

An A-grade response needed, for the first part, to correctly match all five adverbs and then for the second part to create a Tom Swiftly using a single sentence. The spoken words needed to set up a context in which the words would most likely be said in a quiet or gentle voice and a link to the word ‘soft’.

To correctly match the adverbs students had to be sure the adverb and the spoken words did form a Tom Swiftly as defined in the introduction. In the second part many of the spoken words provided in the responses contained something soft but did not provide the context for why those words would be said quietly or gently. Some responses did not set up a link with the word ‘soft’.

Students should use all available information and attend to any cues carefully. If a model is given use it to help respond appropriately.

A B C D N O

100%


Model response

I. For each sentence below, select the most suitable adverb (from the highlighted section) to complete the sentence as a Tom Swiftly. Write one adverb at the end of each sentence. Do not use any adverb from the highlighted section more than once.

‘Watch out for the broken glass,’ Tom said ..........................................................

‘Your work is only average,’ Tom said ..............................................................

‘Walk this way,’ Tom said .............................................................................

‘I can’t remember what groceries I need to buy,’ Tom said ........................................

‘Of course you’ll graduate,’ Tom said ...............................................................

II. Craft appropriate spoken words to go before Tom said softly, to form a Tom Swiftly.

........................................................................................

........................................................................................

........................................................................................

................................................... ’ Tom said softly .

Check that your words do create a Tom Swiftly as described in this unit.

‘

sharply.

meanly.

stridently.

listlessly.

diplomatically.

I could just sink into this cosy bed forever,


26

UN

IT T

HR

EE

ITE

M 5

PER

FOR

MA

NC

E D

OM

AIN

Ma

rkin

g S

ch

em

e

Mark

ing

Un

it 3

2 o

f 5

N

Res

pons

e is

un

inte

lligi

ble

or d

oes n

ot

satis

fy th

e re

quir

emen

ts

for

any

othe

r gr

ade. O

No

resp

onse

ha

s bee

n m

ade

at a

ny ti

me.

31In

terr

elat

ing

� th

emes

� 4

6C

reat

ing/

com

posi

ng/d

evis

ing

10U

sing

voc

abul

ary

appr

opri

ate

to a

con

text C

The

res

pons

e,

for

part

I, p

rovi

des

�fo

ur o

f the

adv

erbs

mat

ched

cor

rect

ly.

The

res

pons

e,

for

part

I, p

rovi

des

�th

ree

of th

e ad

verb

s mat

ched

cor

rect

ly

AN

D

for

part

II, s

ets u

p O

NE

of

�a

cont

ext i

n w

hich

the

wor

ds w

ould

mos

t lik

ely

be sa

id in

a q

uiet

or

gent

le v

oice

�a

link

to th

e w

ord

�sof

t��

a re

fere

nce

to so

met

hing

that

cou

ld b

e de

emed

to b

e �s

oft�

.OR

A

The

res

pons

e,

for

part

I, p

rovi

des

�th

e fiv

e ad

verb

s mat

ched

cor

rect

ly

AN

D

for

part

II, s

ets u

p

�a

cont

ext i

n w

hich

the

wor

ds w

ould

mos

t lik

ely

be sa

id in

a q

uiet

or

gent

le v

oice

�a

link

to th

e w

ord

�sof

t�.

The

sing

le se

nten

ce cr

eate

s a T

om S

wift

ly a

s de

fined

.

B

The

resp

onse

,

for

part

I, p

rovi

des

�fo

ur o

f the

adv

erbs

mat

ched

cor

rect

ly

AND

for

part

II, s

ets u

p

�a

cont

ext i

n w

hich

the

wor

ds w

ould

mos

t lik

ely

be sa

id in

a q

uiet

or

gent

le v

oice

�a

link

to th

e w

ord

�sof

t�.

The s

ingl

e sen

tenc

e cre

ates

a T

om S

wift

ly a

s de

fined

.

The

resp

onse

,

for

part

I pr

ovid

es

�th

e fiv

e ad

verb

s mat

ched

cor

rect

ly

AND

for

part

II se

ts u

p

�a

link

to th

e w

ord

�sof

t�.

OR

D

The

res

pons

e,

for

part

I, p

rovi

des

�tw

o of

the

adve

rbs m

atch

ed c

orre

ctly

.

The

res

pons

e,

for

part

II, s

ets u

p O

NE

of

�a

cont

ext i

n w

hich

the

wor

ds w

ould

mos

t lik

ely

be sa

id in

a q

uiet

or

gent

le v

oice

�a

link

to th

e w

ord

�sof

t��

a re

fere

nce

to so

met

hing

that

cou

ld b

e de

emed

to b

e �s

oft�

.OR

Mod

el R

espo

nse:

I.�

shar

ply

�m

eanl

y

�st

ride

ntly

�lis

tless

ly

�di

plom

atic

ally

II.

�I c

ould

just

sink

into

this

cos

y be

d fo

reve

r,� T

om sa

id so

ftly

.


Ma

rkin

g S

ch

em

e

Mark

ing

Un

it 3

3 o

f 5

UN

IT T

HR

EE

ITE

M 5

Not

es:

Part

I:

1.A

n ad

verb

can

not g

ain

cred

it if

it is

use

d m

ore

than

onc

e, e

ven

if on

e of

the

uses

invo

lves

a c

orre

ct m

atch

.

2.A

s lon

g as

the

wor

d is

una

mbi

guou

sly

reco

gnis

able

, inc

orre

ct sp

ellin

g is

tole

rate

d.

3.A

cor

rect

mat

ch m

ay b

e in

dica

ted

othe

r th

an b

y w

ritin

g th

e ad

verb

at t

he e

nd o

f the

sent

ence

(e.g

. by

conn

ectin

g lin

es) a

s lon

g as

wha

t is m

eant

is u

nam

bigu

ous.

Thi

s app

lies t

o al

l gra

des.

Part

II:

4.In

mak

ing

judg

men

ts a

bout

whe

ther

a T

om S

wift

ly h

as b

een

form

ed, m

arke

rs sh

ould

ana

lyse

the

resp

onse

as

mod

elle

d in

the

stim

ulus

mat

eria

l, th

at is

, con

side

r w

heth

er it

is m

ost l

ikel

y th

at T

om w

ould

say

the

wor

ds

in a

qui

et o

r ge

ntle

voi

ce (e

choi

ng th

e m

eani

ng o

f sof

tly) a

nd w

heth

er th

e sp

oken

wor

ds li

nk w

ith th

e st

em o

f th

e ad

verb

, �so

ft�.

Ask

: �If

[som

ethi

ng in

the

spok

en w

ords

] the

n w

ould

it b

e so

ft?�

Som

e ex

ampl

es:

��I

love

sink

ing

into

my

mat

tres

s at t

he e

nd o

f a lo

ng d

ay,�

Tom

said

soft

ly.

Thi

s is a

Tom

Sw

iftly

. Con

text

: Bec

ause

Tom

is th

inki

ng o

f rel

axin

g he

wou

ld m

ost l

ikel

y sa

y th

e w

ords

ge

ntly

. Lin

k: If

he

is si

nkin

g in

to a

mat

tres

s the

n it

wou

ld b

e so

ft.

��T

he c

hef s

houl

d ha

ve u

sed

a m

alle

t on

this

mut

ton

befo

re se

rvin

g it

up a

s �la

mb�

, Tom

said

soft

ly.

Thi

s is a

Tom

Sw

iftly

. Con

text

: Bec

ause

Tom

is c

ritic

isin

g th

e fo

od in

a r

esta

uran

t he

wou

ld m

ost l

ikel

y sp

eak

quie

tly. L

ink:

If a

mal

let i

s use

d on

mea

t (i.e

. to

tend

eris

e it)

then

the

mea

t wou

ld b

e so

ft.

��T

he se

nten

ce th

e ju

dge

just

gav

e is

leni

ent,�

Tom

said

soft

ly.

Thi

s is a

Tom

Sw

iftly

. Con

text

: If T

om is

in th

e co

urt r

oom

and

is d

isagr

eein

g w

ith a

judg

e he

wou

ld sa

y th

e w

ords

qui

etly

. Lin

k: If

the

sent

ence

is le

nien

t the

n it

is so

ft.

5.T

he w

ord

�sof

t� in

a r

espo

nse

to p

art I

I doe

s not

set u

p a

link

or a

ref

eren

ce to

som

ethi

ng th

at c

ould

be

deem

ed to

be

soft

. Con

side

r th

e re

st o

f the

res

pons

e w

hen

mak

ing

a ju

dgm

ent a

bout

a g

rade

.

6.A

Tom

Sw

iftly

com

pris

es a

sing

le se

nten

ce. I

f mor

e th

an o

ne se

nten

ce is

incl

uded

, con

side

r th

e re

spon

se a

s a

who

le to

det

erm

ine

whe

ther

a c

onte

xt, l

ink

or r

efer

ence

has

bee

n se

t up.

7.If

mul

tiple

att

empt

s are

mad

e to

crea

te a

Tom

Sw

iftly

, con

side

r on

ly th

e fir

st w

hen

mak

ing

a ju

dgm

ent a

bout

a

grad

e.


28

Unit FourThe items in this unit are based on water features made up of square-based metal blocks of varying heights arranged on rectangular grids.


Item 6

Commentary

Item 6 is a two-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 50 Visualising and 16 Calculating with or without calculators.

This item required students to find the maximum and minimum depths of water in the pool formed in one of the water-feature models and then to state where each of those depths occurs.

The cue directed students to give the depths in centimetres.

An A-grade response needed to provide the maximum depth and where it occurred and the minimum depth and where it occurred.

To obtain the answer it was necessary to visualise water in the pool and recognise that once the pool was as full as it could be the water would flow out over the lowest side block (in the model given, block 7). When this happened the water on top of block 1 would have a depth of 6 (7 – 1) cm and water on top of block 3 would have a depth of 4 (7 – 3) cm. In some responses it was not made clear where the maximum and minimum depths occurred nor were values identified as maximum and minimum.

Students should clearly and unambiguously provide all requirements when responding to items.

Model response

A B C D E N O

Item 6 13.9 29.0 15.8 35.7 5.6

Item 7 21.2 8.3 31.0 23.1 10.1 6.3


A B C N O

100%

Assume that the pool formed in model 2 is as full as it can be, i.e. it is holding the greatest amount of water that it can. Find the maximum and minimum depths of the water in the pool and state where each occurs.

............................................................................................

............................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

Give the depths in centimetres.

Maximum level of water is 7.

Maximum depth is on block 1.

Maximum depth is 7 – 1 = 6

Minimum depth is on block 3.

Minimum depth is 7 – 3 = 4


PER

FOR

MA

NC

E D

OM

AIN

Ma

rkin

g S

ch

em

e

Mark

ing

Un

it 4

1 o

f 7

UN

IT F

OU

RIT

EM

6

N

Res

pons

e is

un

inte

lligi

ble

or d

oes n

ot

satis

fy th

e re

quir

emen

ts

for

any

othe

r gr

ade. O

No

resp

onse

ha

s bee

n m

ade

at a

ny ti

me.

50V

isua

lisin

g16

Cal

cula

ting

with

or

with

out c

alcu

lato

rs

C

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

�de

pth

of 6

whi

ch c

an b

e in

ferr

ed to

be

the

max

imum

.

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

�de

pth

of 4

whi

ch c

an b

e in

ferr

ed to

be

the

min

imum

.

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

�th

at th

e m

axim

um d

epth

and

the

min

imum

dep

th is

de

term

ined

usi

ng h

eigh

t of 7

.

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

�m

axim

um d

epth

occ

urs o

n bl

ock

1�

min

imum

dep

th o

ccur

s on

bloc

k 3.

OR

OR

OR

A

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

�m

axim

um d

epth

of 6

�m

axim

um d

epth

occ

urs o

n bl

ock

1�

min

imum

dep

th o

f 4�

min

imum

dep

th o

ccur

s on

bloc

k 3.

No

inco

rrec

t inf

orm

atio

n or

wor

king

is u

sed

to o

btai

n th

e an

swer

s.

B

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

�de

pth

of 6

whi

ch c

an b

e in

ferr

ed to

be

the

max

imum

�m

axim

um d

epth

occ

urs o

n bl

ock

1.

No

inco

rrec

t inf

orm

atio

n or

wor

king

is u

sed

to o

btai

n th

is

part

of t

he a

nsw

er.

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

�de

pth

of 4

whi

ch c

an b

e in

ferr

ed to

be

the

min

imum

�m

inim

um d

epth

occ

urs o

n bl

ock

3.

No

inco

rrec

t inf

orm

atio

n or

wor

king

is u

sed

to o

btai

n th

is

part

of t

he a

nsw

er.

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es b

oth

�de

pth

of 6

whi

ch c

an b

e in

ferr

ed to

be

the

max

imum

�de

pth

of 4

whi

ch c

an b

e in

ferr

ed to

be

the

min

imum

.

No

inco

rrec

t inf

orm

atio

n or

wor

king

is u

sed

to o

btai

n th

ese

part

s of t

he a

nsw

ers.

OR

OR

Mod

el R

espo

nse:

Max

imum

leve

l of w

ater

is 7

.

Max

imum

dep

th is

on

bloc

k 1.

Max

imum

dep

th is

7 �

1 =

6

Min

imum

dep

th is

on

bloc

k 3.

Min

imum

dep

th is

7 �

3 =

4


30

Item 7

Commentary

Item 7 is a three-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 20 Setting out/presenting/arranging/displaying, 43 Analysing and 53 Observing systematically.

This item required students to design a water feature so that a pool is formed in its middle using blocks numbered 1 to 20, where the numbers indicate the heights of the blocks. There were three requirements: the area of the base of the pool had to be as large as possible; the amount of water able to be held in the pool had to be as great as possible; blocks beside each other had to have height differences more than one, i.e. no consecutively numbered blocks could be beside each other.

The cue suggested that students use pencil on a draft grid before completing their response on the answer grid.

An A-grade response needed blocks numbered 1 to 20 to be used (with no repetition) and those numbered 1 to 6 to be located in the middle squares, 7 to 10 located in the corner squares and 11 to 20 in the side squares. It also required that no consecutive numbers be beside each other. This layout would ensure that the three requirements of the water feature design would be met.

Checking was of paramount importance in this item as some responses that showed correct reasoning unfortunately had consecutive pairs beside each other or repeated numbers in the answer grid.

Students should always consider all given information especially that provided in the introductory stimulus prior to developing their strategies. Model 2 given in the stimulus exemplified how a pool is formed and the connection between the pool blocks and the side blocks.

Model response

A B C N O

100%

D

Answer grid.

8 13 16 19 10

12 6 2 4 20

18 3 5 1 15

9 17 11 14 7


UN

IT F

OU

RIT

EM

7

PER

FOR

MA

NC

E D

OM

AIN

Ma

rkin

g S

ch

em

e

Mark

ing

Un

it 4

2 o

f 7

N

Res

pons

e is

un

inte

lligi

ble

or d

oes n

ot

satis

fy th

e re

quir

emen

ts

for

any

othe

r gr

ade. O

No

resp

onse

ha

s bee

n m

ade

at a

ny ti

me.

20Se

ttin

g ou

t/pre

sent

ing/

arra

ngin

g/di

spla

ying

43A

naly

sing

53O

bser

ving

syst

emat

ical

ly

C

The

resp

onse

pro

vide

s the

num

bers

1 to

20

in a

com

plet

ed g

rid

such

that

num

bers

�1

to 1

0 oc

cupy

the s

ix m

iddl

e squ

ares

and

th

e co

rner

squa

res

�11

to 2

0 oc

cupy

the

side

squa

res.

No

num

bers

are

rep

eate

d.

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es th

e nu

mbe

rs 1

to 2

0in

a c

ompl

eted

gri

d su

ch th

at

�th

e la

rges

t mid

dle-

squa

re n

umbe

r is

less

th

an th

e sm

alle

st si

de-s

quar

e nu

mbe

r.

No

num

bers

are

rep

eate

d.

Con

secu

tive n

umbe

rs a

re b

esid

e eac

h ot

her

at m

ost t

wo

times

thro

ugho

ut th

e gr

id.

OR

A

The

resp

onse

pro

vide

s the

num

bers

1 to

20

in a

cor

rect

ly c

ompl

eted

gri

d su

ch th

at

num

bers

�1

to 6

occ

upy

the

six

mid

dle

squa

res

�7

to 1

0 oc

cupy

the

corn

er sq

uare

s�

11 to

20

occu

py th

e si

de sq

uare

s.

No

num

bers

are

rep

eate

d.

No

cons

ecut

ive

num

bers

are

bes

ide

each

ot

her

thro

ugho

ut th

e gr

id.

B

The

resp

onse

pro

vide

s the

num

bers

1 to

20

in a

com

plet

ed g

rid

such

that

num

bers

�1

to 6

occ

upy

the

six m

iddl

e sq

uare

s�

7 to

10

occu

py c

orne

r sq

uare

s�

11 to

20

occu

py th

e si

de sq

uare

s.

No

num

bers

are

rep

eate

d.

Con

secu

tive n

umbe

rs a

re b

esid

e eac

h ot

her

at m

ost t

wo

times

thro

ugho

ut th

e gr

id.

The

resp

onse

pro

vide

s the

num

bers

1 to

20

in a

com

plet

ed g

rid

such

that

num

bers

�1

to 1

0 oc

cupy

the s

ix m

iddl

e squ

ares

and

th

e co

rner

squa

res

�11

to 2

0 oc

cupy

the

side

squa

res.

No

num

bers

are

rep

eate

d.

No

cons

ecut

ive

num

bers

are

bes

ide

each

ot

her

thro

ugho

ut th

e gr

id.

OR

D

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es a

gri

d su

ch th

at si

x of

the

num

bers

1 to

10

�oc

cupy

the

six

mid

dle

squa

res.

No

num

bers

are

rep

eate

d in

the

mid

dle

squa

res.

The

resp

onse

pro

vide

s a g

rid

cont

aini

ng 1

2 or

mor

e nu

mbe

rs b

etw

een

1 an

d 20

.

No

num

bers

are

rep

eate

d.

No

cons

ecut

ive

num

bers

are

bes

ide

each

ot

her

thro

ugho

ut th

e gr

id.

OR

Not

es:

1.

sid

e

co

rne

r

mid

dle

co

rne

r

co

rne

rco

rne

r

sid

e

sid

e

sid

e

Mod

el R

espo

nse:

81

31

61

91

0

12

62

42

0

18

35

11

5

91

711

14

7

2.If

a sq

uare

con

tain

s mor

e th

an o

ne n

umbe

r, co

nsid

er it

as a

n em

pty

squa

re a

nd th

eref

ore

the

resp

onse

will

not

be

cons

ider

ed a

com

plet

ed

grid

.

3.T

he r

espo

nse

to b

e gr

aded

is th

e �a

nsw

er g

rid�

. If t

here

are

no

num

bers

pro

vide

d in

the

�ans

wer

gri

d�, r

efer

to th

e �d

raft

gri

d� a

nd

grad

e ac

cord

ingl

y.


32

Unit FiveThe item in this unit is based on a list of quotations about a particular nonfiction book. The quotations give personal reactions to the book.

The following table shows the percentage of responses awarded the various grades for the item in this unit.

Item 8

Commentary

Item 8 is a three-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 44 Synthesising, 11 Summarising/condensing written text and 31 Interrelating ideas/themes/issues.

The stimulus for this item was a number of quotations, each of which gave a personal reaction to the same nonfiction book.

This item required students to determine the facts relating to the essential elements of the nonfiction book and to compose an objective overview. Title,

author, topic, content and style of writing were stipulated as the ‘essential elements’ of the objective overview they were to compose. An objective overview is considered to be one free from personal comments.

A cue suggested using the open space to organise the response and reminded students to write their final overview in the lined area. Other cues instructed students to write in sentences and not to simply quote from the quotations.

An A-grade response needed to create the overview, drawing together evidence from the stimulus, rather than simply quoting verbatim from it. The responses needed to be objective, succinct and coherent and follow a logical sequence. As part of the overview students were required to correctly identify the title, author and topic. They were also required to provide different details about the content and different details about the book’s style.

The title and name of the author were mostly identified but the topic and content were sometimes interchanged. The topic, as distinct from content of the book is ‘public speaking or presenting’, or an equivalent over-arching word or phrase. Many responses identified topic as ‘dos and don’ts of public speaking’, or ‘personal experiences of public speaking’. These are creditable as details of content, but not as the topic of the book.

Students should take on board the suggestion in a cue that recommends organising before writing the final response. This type of cue has been provided because, to respond well, several parts would have to be carefully brought together (synthesised). Attending to cues is always a beneficial exercise — they are there to guide students.

Model response

A B C D E N O

Item 8 7.5 31.2 37.1 14.3 3.9 6.0


A B C N O

100%

D

..........................................................................................

..........................................................................................

..........................................................................................

Write in sentences.

Do not simply quote from the quotations.

‘Confessions of a Public Speaker’ by Scott Berkun is about public speaking and offers advice

on making presentations to an audience. It is well-organised and contains practical

suggestions based on the author’s own experiences, making it humorous and entertaining.


UN

IT F

IVE

ITE

M 8

PER

FOR

MA

NC

E D

OM

AIN

Ma

rkin

g S

ch

em

e

Mark

ing

Un

it 3

4 o

f 5

N

Res

pons

e is

un

inte

lligi

ble

or d

oes n

ot

satis

fy th

e re

quir

emen

ts

for

any

othe

r gr

ade. O

No

resp

onse

ha

s bee

n m

ade

at a

ny ti

me.

44Sy

nthe

sisi

ng11

Su

mm

aris

ing/

cond

ensi

ng w

ritt

en te

xt

31In

terr

elat

ing

idea

s/th

emes

/issu

es

C

The

res

pons

e

�co

rrec

tly id

entif

ies T

WO

of:

� tit

le a

s Con

fess

ions

of a

Pub

lic S

peak

er�

auth

or a

s Sco

tt B

erku

n �

topi

c as

pub

lic sp

eaki

ng (o

r eq

uiva

lent

)�

give

s diff

eren

t det

ails

of t

he b

ook�

s co

nten

t and

/or

styl

e.

A

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es a

n ov

ervi

ew w

hich

�dr

aws t

oget

her

evid

ence

from

the

stim

ulus

, rat

her

than

sim

ply

quot

ing

verb

atim

from

the

stim

ulus

�is

obj

ectiv

e �

con

tain

s no

pers

onal

co

mm

ents

�is

succ

inct

and

coh

eren

t and

follo

ws a

lo

gica

l seq

uenc

e�

cont

ains

no

assu

mpt

ions

that

are

not

su

ppor

ted

by th

e st

imul

us m

ater

ial

�co

rrec

tly id

entif

ies

� tit

le a

s Con

fess

ions

of a

Pub

lic S

peak

er�

auth

or a

s Sco

tt B

erku

n �

topi

c as

pub

lic sp

eaki

ng (o

r eq

uiva

lent

)�

give

s diff

eren

t det

ails

of t

he b

ook�

s co

nten

t �

give

s diff

eren

t det

ails

of t

he b

ook�

s sty

le.

B

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es a

n ov

ervi

ew w

hich

�dr

aws t

oget

her

evid

ence

from

the

stim

ulus

rat

her

than

sim

ply

quot

ing

verb

atim

from

the

stim

ulus

�is

obj

ectiv

e �

con

tain

s no

pers

onal

co

mm

ents

�co

rrec

tly id

entif

ies

� tit

le a

s Con

fess

ions

of a

Pub

lic S

peak

er�

auth

or a

s Sco

tt B

erku

n �

topi

c as

pub

lic sp

eaki

ng (o

r eq

uiva

lent

)

AN

D g

ives

EIT

HE

R

�a

deta

il of

the

book

�s c

onte

nt

�di

ffer

ent d

etai

ls o

f the

boo

k�s s

tyle

OR

�di

ffer

ent d

etai

ls o

f the

boo

k�s c

onte

nt

�a

deta

il of

the

book

�s st

yle.

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es a

n ov

ervi

ew w

hich

�dr

aws t

oget

her

evid

ence

from

the

stim

ulus

rat

her

than

sim

ply

quot

ing

verb

atim

from

the

stim

ulus

�is

obj

ectiv

e �

con

tain

s no

pers

onal

co

mm

ents

�co

rrec

tly id

entif

ies

� tit

le a

s Con

fess

ions

of a

Pub

lic S

peak

er�

auth

or a

s Sco

tt B

erku

n �

give

s diff

eren

t det

ails

of t

he b

ook�

s co

nten

t �

give

s diff

eren

t det

ails

of t

he b

ook�

s sty

le.

OR

D

The

res

pons

e

�co

rrec

tly id

entif

ies T

WO

of:

� tit

le a

s Con

fess

ions

of a

Pub

lic S

peak

er�

auth

or a

s Sco

tt B

erku

n �

topi

c as p

ublic

spea

king

(or e

quiv

alen

t).

The

res

pons

e gi

ves d

iffer

ent d

etai

ls o

f the

bo

ok�s

con

tent

and

/or

styl

e.

OR

Mod

el R

espo

nses

:1.

�Con

fess

ions

of a

Pub

lic S

peak

er� b

y Sc

ott B

erku

n is

abo

ut p

ublic

spea

king

and

off

ers a

dvic

e on

mak

ing

pres

enta

tions

to a

n au

dien

ce. I

t is w

ell-o

rgan

ised

and

con

tain

s pra

ctic

al

sugg

estio

ns b

ased

on

the

auth

or�s

ow

n ex

peri

ence

s, m

akin

g it

hum

orou

s and

ent

erta

inin

g.

2.In

his

boo

k, �C

onfe

ssio

ns o

f a P

ublic

Spe

aker

�, Sc

ott B

erku

n gi

ves p

ract

ical

and

use

ful a

dvic

e ab

out s

peak

ing

in fr

ont o

f an

audi

ence

. The

boo

k is

ent

erta

inin

g an

d co

vers

all

that

pot

entia

l pu

blic

spea

kers

nee

d to

kno

w. I

t is a

utho

rita

tive

but u

ses p

erso

nal e

xper

ienc

es a

nd e

xam

ples

, of

ten

hum

orou

sly.

3.�C

onfe

ssio

ns o

f a P

ublic

Spe

aker

�, w

ritt

en b

y Sc

ott B

erku

n, is

a b

ook

on p

ublic

spea

king

. Sc

ott s

hare

s his

per

sona

l exp

erie

nces

to o

ffer

pra

ctic

al in

sigh

ts a

nd ti

ps b

ased

on

his o

wn

succ

esse

s and

mist

akes

. He

does

this

in a

ref

resh

ing,

hum

orou

s and

wel

l-org

anis

ed m

anne

r.


34

Ma

rkin

g S

ch

em

e

Mark

ing

Un

it 3

5 o

f 5

UN

IT F

IVE

ITE

M 8

Not

es:

1.A

n ov

ervi

ew p

rese

nts t

he e

ssen

tial e

lem

ents

wri

tten

in se

nten

ces (

not d

ot p

oint

s). A

n ov

ervi

ew is

no

t sim

ply

a co

llect

ion

of q

uote

s tak

en fr

om th

e st

imul

us m

ater

ial.

2.T

he e

ssen

tial e

lem

ents

are

:

�th

e tit

le o

f the

boo

k (C

onfe

ssio

ns o

f a P

ublic

Spe

aker

)

�th

e au

thor

(Sco

tt B

erku

n) �

�Sco

tt� o

n its

ow

n or

�Ber

kun�

on

its o

wn

is n

ot su

ffici

ent t

o co

rrec

tly id

entif

y th

e au

thor

�to

pic

� th

e to

pic

is th

e �s

uper

set�

: pub

lic sp

eaki

ng o

r eq

uiva

lent

such

as p

rese

ntin

g, g

uide

to

givi

ng p

rese

ntat

ions

�co

nten

t � th

e �s

ubse

ts� o

f the

topi

c �

See

Not

e 3

�st

yle

� S

ee N

ote

4.

3.T

he b

ook�

s con

tent

incl

udes

(but

is n

ot li

mite

d to

thes

e w

ords

): r

eal-l

ife e

xper

ienc

es, p

ract

ical

tips

, su

cces

ses,

mis

take

s, ba

d ex

peri

ence

s, su

gges

tions

, beh

ind-

the-

scen

es in

form

atio

n, p

ract

ical

adv

ice

on sp

eaki

ng to

an

audi

ence

�

4.St

yle

is th

e w

ay in

whi

ch a

n au

thor

pre

sent

s the

con

tent

. The

boo

k�s s

tyle

incl

udes

(but

is n

ot

limite

d to

thes

e w

ords

): c

ompr

ehen

sive

, coh

esiv

e, w

ell-o

rgan

ised,

hum

orou

s, en

tert

aini

ng, f

resh

, ho

nest

, pra

ctic

al, w

itty,

wis

e �

5.A

det

ail c

an b

e at

trib

uted

to E

ITH

ER

con

tent

OR

styl

e bu

t not

bot

h. T

hat i

s, th

ere

is to

be

no

doub

le-d

ippi

ng. E

xam

ples

: pra

ctic

al, i

nfor

mat

ive.

6.A

res

pons

e th

at r

efer

s to

the

book

as b

eing

fict

iona

l or

as a

nov

el is

not

elig

ible

for

an A

-gra

de.

7.W

orki

ng in

the

area

pro

vide

d fo

r or

gani

sing

a re

spon

se c

anno

t be c

onsi

dere

d pa

rt o

f an

�ove

rvie

w�,

but i

t may

pro

vide

evi

denc

e th

at c

an b

e us

ed to

con

trib

ute

to th

e aw

ard

of a

C-g

rade

or

D-g

rade

. If

ther

e is

no

resp

onse

in th

e lin

ed a

rea,

the

area

pro

vide

d fo

r or

gani

sing

a re

spon

se sh

ould

be

used

to

det

erm

ine

the

grad

e.

Las

t Pag

e C

ount


Unit SixThe items in this unit are based on two lead-light windows of different sizes.


Item 9

Commentary

Item 9 is a four-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 16 Calculating with or without calculators and 32 Reaching a conclusion which is necessarily true provided a given set of assumptions is true.

This item comprised two parts and required students to find the total length of lead needed to construct a circular lead-light window which contained a square in the centre of the window. In determining this total length, several intermediate values needed to be calculated and two of these intermediate values (i.e. the area of the square and its side-length) needed to be included in the first part of the response.

The cues directed students to show all steps and give each of the answers to three decimal places.

An A-grade response needed to provide evidence that all of the seven key steps were used in a valid way to provide the final results for the area of the square, the side-length of the square and the total length of lead for the window.

Students should not measure a diagram unless it has been explicitly identified as a scale diagram. The diagram provided in the stimulus was clearly non-circular and was described as a ‘very rough sketch’. This was deliberate so that it would not be taken to be a scale diagram. If a diagram is not to scale there must be another method of determining the solution.

A B C D E N O

Item 9 7.8 9.6 10.7 9.1 12.2 45.4 5.2

Item 10 11.6 10.3 5.3 32.3 12.5 16.5 11.4


A B C N O

100%

D E


36

Model response

I. Find the area (in m2) that the square pane of glass will have and then calculate its side-length (in m) if the actual window will have a diameter of 2.20 m.

.........................................................................................

.........................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

Show all steps.

Give answers to three decimal places.

Area of circle r 2 = 1.12

= 3.8013 … m2

Area of square =

= 0.7602 …

= 0.760 m2

Area of square = s 2

20.760 = s

s =

= 0.872 m 3.8013 …5

----------------------

0.760

II. For this window, lead will only be used for the sides of the square and the four lines from the corners of the square to the rim of the circle.

Determine the total length of lead to be used for this window.

.........................................................................................

.........................................................................................

.........................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

Show all steps.

Give final length in metres to three decimal places.

Perimeter of square = s 4

= 0.872 4

= 3.488 m

For diagonal: c 2

2 22

2 2 = a + b

c = 0.872 + 0.872

= 1.521

1.521Diagonal of square =

= 1.233

Length of four lines to rim = 2 (2.2 – 1.233)

= 1.934

Total lead required = perimeter of square + length of lines to rim

= 3.488 + 1.934

= 5.422 m.


UN

IT S

IXIT

EM

9

PER

FOR

MA

NC

E D

OM

AIN

Ma

rkin

g S

ch

em

e

Mark

ing

Un

it 4

3 o

f 7

N

Res

pons

e is

un

inte

lligi

ble

or d

oes n

ot

satis

fy th

e re

quir

emen

ts

for

any

othe

r gr

ade. O

No

resp

onse

ha

s bee

n m

ade

at a

ny ti

me.

16C

alcu

latin

g w

ith o

r w

ithou

t cal

cula

tors

32R

each

ing

a co

nclu

sion

whi

ch is

nec

essa

rily

true

pro

vide

d a

give

n se

t of a

ssum

ptio

ns is

true

C

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es c

orre

ct

resu

lts fo

r

�ar

ea o

f squ

are

�si

de-le

ngth

�pe

rim

eter

of s

quar

e.

No

inco

rrec

t inf

orm

atio

n or

w

orki

ng is

use

d to

obt

ain

the

answ

ers.

The

res

pons

e sh

ows v

alid

step

s fo

r

�ar

ea o

f cir

cle

�ar

ea o

f squ

are

�si

de-le

ngth

�pe

rim

eter

of s

quar

e�

leng

th o

f rel

evan

t dia

gona

l�

leng

th o

f lin

es to

rim

�to

tal l

engt

h of

lead

.

OR

A

The

res

pons

e sh

ows v

alid

step

s fo

r

�ar

ea o

f cir

cle

�ar

ea o

f squ

are

�si

de-le

ngth

�pe

rim

eter

of s

quar

e�

sect

ion

leng

th o

f dia

gona

l�

leng

th o

f all

lines

to r

im�

tota

l len

gth

of le

ad

AN

D

prov

ides

fina

l res

ults

, giv

en

corr

ectly

to th

ree d

ecim

al p

lace

s, fo

r

�ar

ea o

f squ

are

(in m

2 )�

side

-leng

th (i

n m

)�

tota

l len

gth

of le

ad (i

n m

).

No

inco

rrec

t inf

orm

atio

n or

w

orki

ng is

use

d to

obt

ain

the

answ

ers.

B

The

res

pons

e, a

llow

ing

for

at

mos

t one

obs

erva

ble

mec

hani

cal

erro

r an

d co

nseq

uent

ially

co

rrec

t wor

king

as a

pplic

able

, sh

ows v

alid

step

s for

�ar

ea o

f cir

cle

�ar

ea o

f squ

are

�si

de-le

ngth

�pe

rim

eter

of s

quar

e�

sect

ion

leng

th o

f dia

gona

l�

leng

th o

f lin

es to

rim

�to

tal l

engt

h of

lead

AN

D

prov

ides

fina

l res

ults

for

�ar

ea o

f squ

are

�si

de-le

ngth

�to

tal l

engt

h of

lead

.

D

The

res

pons

e, a

llow

ing

for

at m

ost

one

obse

rvab

le m

echa

nica

l err

or a

nd

cons

eque

ntia

lly c

orre

ct w

orki

ng, a

s ap

plic

able

, pro

vide

s res

ults

for

�ar

ea o

f squ

are

�si

de-le

ngth

�pe

rim

eter

of s

quar

e.

The

res

pons

e, b

ased

on

a st

ated

side

-le

ngth

of t

he sq

uare

and

allo

win

g fo

r at

mos

t one

obs

erva

ble

mec

hani

cal

erro

r an

d co

nseq

uent

ially

cor

rect

w

orki

ng a

s app

licab

le, p

rovi

des

�co

nseq

uent

ially

cor

rect

leng

th o

f re

leva

nt d

iago

nal

�co

nseq

uent

ially

corr

ect t

otal

leng

th

of le

ad.

The

res

pons

e, b

ased

on

a st

ated

le

ngth

of t

he d

iago

nal o

f the

squa

re

(less

than

2.2

m) a

nd a

llow

ing

for

at

mos

t one

obs

erva

ble

mec

hani

cal

erro

r an

d co

nseq

uent

ially

cor

rect

w

orki

ng a

s app

licab

le, p

rovi

des

�co

nseq

uent

ially

cor

rect

side

of

squa

re�

cons

eque

ntia

lly co

rrec

t tot

al le

ngth

of

lead

.

OR

OR

E

The

resp

onse

, allo

win

g fo

r at m

ost

one

obse

rvab

le m

echa

nica

l err

or

and

cons

eque

ntia

lly c

orre

ct

wor

king

as a

pplic

able

, pro

vide

s re

sults

for

�ar

ea o

f squ

are

�si

de-le

ngth

.

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

�th

e co

rrec

t use

of P

ytha

gora

s�

theo

rem

usi

ng st

ated

val

ues f

or

a tr

iang

le a

ssoc

iate

d w

ith th

e sq

uare

.

OR

Not

es:

1.A

n �o

bser

vabl

e m

echa

nica

l err

or� m

eans

that

suff

icie

nt in

term

edia

te st

eps a

re sh

own

so th

at

an in

fere

nce

does

not

nee

d to

be

mad

e to

show

how

an

erro

r oc

curr

ed. S

uch

erro

rs in

clud

e:

� a

mis

use

of u

nits

� a

conv

ersi

on e

rror

� a

reco

gnis

able

tran

scri

ptio

n er

ror

� an

inco

rrec

t res

ult o

f a c

orre

ctly

-sta

ted

oper

atio

n�

inap

prop

riat

e ro

undi

ng.

2.A

tria

ngle

ass

ocia

ted

with

the

squa

re is

a r

ight

isos

cele

s tri

angl

e th

at is

par

t of t

he sq

uare

dr

awn

in th

e ci

rcle

.


38

Ma

rkin

g S

ch

em

eU

NIT

SIX

ITE

M 9

Mark

ing

Un

it 4

4 o

f 7

Mod

el R

espo

nse:

I. Are

a of

cir

cle

r2 =

1

.12 =

3.8

013

� m

2 .

Are

a of

squa

re =

= 0.

7602

�

= 0.

760

m2

Are

a of

squa

re =

s2

0.76

0 =

s2

s =

= 0.

872

m

3.80

13 5----

--------

--------

--

0.76

0

II. Pe

rim

eter

of s

quar

e =

s 4

= 0.

872

4

= 3.

488

m

For

diag

onal

:c2 =

a2 +

b2

c2 = 0

.872

2 + 0

.872

2

= 1.

521

Dia

gona

l of s

quar

e = =

1.23

3

Len

gth

of fo

ur li

nes t

o ri

m =

2

(2.2

� 1

.233

)

= 1.

934

Tota

l lea

d re

quir

ed =

per

imet

er o

f squ

are

+ le

ngth

of l

ines

to r

im

= 3.

488

+ 1.

934

= 5.

422

m.

1.52

1


Item 10

Commentary

Item 10 is a four-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 57 Manipulating/operating/using equipment, 19 Substituting into formulae, 37 Applying a progression of steps to achieve the required answer and 43 Analysing.

This item comprised two parts. In the first part students were required to carefully measure in millimetres the length of the chord and the vertical height of the top segment in the scale diagram. They were to use those measurements in the given formula to find the area of the segment. In the second part they were required to

find the radius for the two circles, each with the same area as the segment. These circles had to be drawn using a compass and positioned in the space between the top and bottom segments.

The cues directed students to show all steps in the first part and give their answer to the nearest square millimetre. In the second part the cue instructed students to show the working used to calculate the radius.

An A-grade response needed to correctly substitute the required values of the height and the chord into the formula and calculate the correct segment area to the nearest square millimetre. The response had to recognise that segment area equals circle area and to accurately construct the two circles within the designated area using the correctly calculated radius. The circles could not overlap.

Measuring accurately with a ruler and using a compass correctly were two skills required in this item. Careless substitution into the formula caused some incorrect calculations.

Students should remember to check the reasonableness of their answers, e.g. in this item the measured length of the chord was sometimes given not as 95 mm but as 950 mm, which is clearly too large. When an item comprises two parts it is expected that values determined in the first part are to be used towards the solution to the second part. Using the already obtained value/s will save time.

Model response

A B C N O

100%

D E

I. Carefully measure (in mm), the length of the chord and the vertical height of the top segment on the diagram. A formula that can be used to find the area of a segment is:

Use this formula to find the area of the top segment.

.........................................................................................

.........................................................................................

.........................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

A 23---hc h3

2c------+= where h

c= vertical height of the segment= length of the chord

Show all steps.

Give answer to the nearest square millimetre.

In the diagram h = 28 mm and c = 94 mm.

A 23 hc h 3

2c+

× × ×

+

=

23- 28 94

283

2 94------------

------------ ------------

-+=

116.771754.67=

1871.44 mm=

1871 mm=


40

To complete the diagram, two circles will be positioned in the space between the top and bottom segments. Each of the circles will have the same area as each of the segments.

II. Find the required radius then draw the two circles on the diagram above. Use a drawing compass.

...........................................................................................

...........................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

Show working to calculate the radius.

A r2=

1871 r2=

r2 595.56=

r 595.56=

r 24.4 mm=


UN

IT S

IXIT

EM

10

PER

FOR

MA

NC

E D

OM

AIN

Ma

rkin

g S

ch

em

e

Mark

ing

Un

it 4

5 o

f 7

N

Res

pons

e is

un

inte

lligi

ble

or d

oes n

ot

satis

fy th

e re

quir

emen

ts

for

any

othe

r gr

ade. O

No

resp

onse

ha

s bee

n m

ade

at a

ny ti

me.

57M

anip

ulat

ing/

oper

atin

g/us

ing

equi

pmen

t19

Subs

titut

ing

in fo

rmul

ae

37A

pply

ing

a pr

ogre

ssio

n of

step

s to

achi

eve

the

requ

ired

ans

wer

43

Ana

lysi

ng

C

The

resp

onse

, allo

win

g fo

r at m

ost

one

obse

rvab

le e

rror

with

co

nseq

uent

ially

cor

rect

wor

king

as

app

licab

le, p

rovi

des

�re

ason

able

mea

sure

men

t of

h an

d c

�su

bstit

utio

n of

h a

nd c

into

fo

rmul

a�

calc

ulat

ion

of se

gmen

t are

a�

reco

gniti

on th

at se

gmen

t are

a eq

uals

cir

cle

area

�a

radi

us fo

r th

e ci

rcle

s.

One

cir

cle

is d

raw

n su

ffici

ently

w

ell w

ithin

the

desi

gnat

ed a

rea

usin

g th

e st

ated

rad

ius.

The

res

pons

e sh

ows v

alid

step

s an

d pr

ovid

es

�th

e re

quir

ed m

easu

rem

ent o

f h

and

c �

corr

ect s

ubst

itutio

n of

h a

nd c

in

to th

e fo

rmul

a�

corr

ect s

egm

ent a

rea

to th

e ne

ares

t squ

are

mill

imet

re�

reco

gniti

on th

at se

gmen

t are

a eq

uals

cir

cle

area

�co

rrec

t rad

ius f

or th

e ci

rcle

s.

OR

A

The

res

pons

e sh

ows v

alid

step

s an

d pr

ovid

es

�th

e re

quir

ed m

easu

rem

ent o

f h

and

c �

corr

ect s

ubst

itutio

n of

h a

nd c

in

to th

e fo

rmul

a�

corr

ect s

egm

ent a

rea

to th

e ne

ares

t squ

are

mill

imet

re�

reco

gniti

on th

at se

gmen

t are

a eq

uals

cir

cle

area

�co

rrec

t rad

ius f

or th

e ci

rcle

s.

The

two

circ

les a

re a

ccur

atel

y co

nstr

ucte

d w

ithin

the d

esig

nate

d ar

ea u

sing

the

stat

ed r

adiu

s.

The

cir

cles

do

not o

verl

ap.

No

inco

rrec

t inf

orm

atio

n or

w

orki

ng h

as b

een

used

.

B

The

res

pons

e sh

ows v

alid

step

s and

al

low

ing

for

at m

ost o

ne o

bser

vabl

e er

ror

with

con

sequ

entia

lly c

orre

ct

wor

king

as a

pplic

able

, pro

vide

s

�re

ason

able

mea

sure

men

t of h

and

c �

subs

titut

ion

of h

and

c in

to fo

rmul

a�

calc

ulat

ion

of se

gmen

t are

a�

reco

gniti

on th

at se

gmen

t are

a eq

uals

cir

cle

area

�a

radi

us fo

r th

e ci

rcle

s.

Two

circ

les a

re a

ccur

atel

y co

nstr

ucte

d w

ithin

the

desi

gnat

ed

area

usin

g th

e st

ated

rad

ius.

The

cir

cles

do

not o

verl

ap.

The

res

pons

e sh

ows v

alid

step

s and

pr

ovid

es

�th

e re

quir

ed m

easu

rem

ent o

f h

and

c �

corr

ect s

ubst

itutio

n of

h a

nd c

into

th

e fo

rmul

a�

corr

ect s

egm

ent a

rea

to th

e ne

ares

t sq

uare

mill

imet

re�

reco

gniti

on th

at se

gmen

t are

a eq

uals

cir

cle

area

�co

rrec

t rad

ius f

or th

e ci

rcle

s.

The

two

circ

les a

re d

raw

n su

ffic

ient

ly

wel

l and

with

in th

e de

sign

ated

are

a us

ing

the

stat

ed r

adiu

s.

The

cir

cles

do

not o

verl

ap.

No

inco

rrec

t inf

orm

atio

n or

wor

king

ha

s bee

n us

ed.

OR

D

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

�re

ason

able

mea

sure

men

t of

h or

c

�su

bstit

utio

n of

h a

nd c

into

fo

rmul

a�

cons

eque

ntia

lly c

orre

ct

calc

ulat

ion

of se

gmen

t are

a.

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

�re

cogn

ition

that

a st

ated

se

gmen

t are

a eq

uals

cir

cle

area

�al

low

ing

for

at m

ost o

ne

obse

rvab

le e

rror

and

co

nseq

uent

ially

cor

rect

w

orki

ng a

s app

licab

le, a

rad

ius

for

the

circ

les.

The

resp

onse

pro

vide

s tw

o ci

rcle

s dr

awn

suff

icie

ntly

wel

l and

with

in

the

desi

gnat

ed a

rea

usin

g a

stat

ed

radi

us.

The

cir

cles

do

not o

verl

ap.

OR

OR

E

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

�re

ason

able

mea

sure

men

t of

h or

c

�su

bstit

utio

n of

h a

nd c

into

fo

rmul

a.

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es o

ne

circ

le d

raw

n su

ffic

ient

ly w

ell

and

with

in th

e de

sign

ated

ar

ea u

sing

a st

ated

rad

ius.

OR


42

Ma

rkin

g S

ch

em

e

Mark

ing

Un

it 4

6 o

f 7

UN

IT S

IXIT

EM

10

Not

es:

1.T

he r

equi

red

mea

sure

men

t of h

is b

etw

een

26 m

m a

nd 2

8 m

m a

nd c

is b

etw

een

93 m

m a

nd 9

5 m

m in

clus

ive

or th

e eq

uiva

lent

, e.g

. 9.5

cm

.

2.A

ccur

ate

cons

truc

tion

requ

ires

a c

ircl

e to

:�

appe

ar to

be

draw

n us

ing

a dr

awin

g co

mpa

ss�

be c

ompl

ete

with

a c

onst

ant r

adiu

s�

lie w

ithin

1 m

m o

f the

stat

ed r

adiu

s (fo

r an

A-g

rade

res

pons

e, th

is is

with

in th

e pi

nk a

rea

of th

e te

mpl

ate)

.

3.T

he d

esig

nate

d ar

ea is

the

whi

te sp

ace

insi

de th

e w

indo

w b

etw

een

the

segm

ents

.

4.A

n �o

bser

vabl

e er

ror�

mea

ns th

at su

ffic

ient

inte

rmed

iate

step

s are

show

n so

that

an

infe

renc

e do

es n

ot n

eed

to b

e m

ade

abou

t how

an

inco

rrec

t res

ult w

as o

btai

ned.

Su

ch e

rror

s inc

lude

: �

a m

isus

e of

uni

ts

� a

conv

ersi

on e

rror

� a

reco

gnis

able

tran

scri

ptio

n er

ror

� an

inco

rrec

t res

ult t

o a

corr

ectly

stat

ed o

pera

tion

� in

appr

opri

ate

roun

ding

� h

and

c sw

appe

d in

the

form

ula.

5.R

easo

nabl

e m

easu

rem

ent o

f h is

bet

wee

n 25

mm

and

29

mm

and

c is

bet

wee

n 92

mm

and

96

mm

incl

usiv

e or

the

equi

vale

nt, e

.g. 2

.5 c

m

6.�D

raw

n su

ffic

ient

ly w

ell�

requ

ires

a c

ircl

e to

mos

tly li

e w

ithin

3 m

m o

f the

stat

ed r

adiu

s.

7.M

arki

ng a

id:

h an

d (r

)25

(r)

25.5

(r)

26(r)

26.5

(r)

27(r)

27.5

(r)

28(r)

28.5

(r)

29(r)

9216

1822

.716

5422

.916

9023

.217

2623

.417

6323

.718

0023

.918

3724

.218

7424

.419

1124

.792

.516

2622

.816

6223

.016

9823

.317

3523

.517

7123

.718

0824

.018

4524

.218

8324

.519

2024

.793

1634

22.8

1670

23.1

1706

23.3

1743

23.6

1780

23.8

1817

24.0

1854

24.3

1891

24.5

1929

24.8

93.5

1642

22.9

1678

23.1

1715

23.4

1751

23.6

1788

23.9

1825

24.1

1863

24.4

1900

24.6

1938

24.8

c94

1650

22.9

1686

23.2

1723

23.4

1760

23.7

1797

23.9

1834

24.2

1871

24.4

1909

24.7

1947

24.9

94.5

1658

23.0

1694

23.2

1731

23.5

1768

23.7

1805

24.0

1843

24.2

1880

24.5

1918

24.7

1956

25.0

9516

6623

.017

0223

.317

3923

.517

7623

.818

1424

.018

5124

.318

8924

.519

2724

.819

6525

.095

.516

7323

.117

1023

.317

4723

.617

8523

.818

2224

.118

6024

.318

9824

.619

3624

.819

7425

.196

1681

23.1

1718

23.4

1756

23.6

1793

23.9

1831

24.1

1868

24.4

1906

24.6

1945

24.9

1983

25.1


Ma

rkin

g S

ch

em

eU

NIT

SIX

ITE

M 1

0

Mark

ing

Un

it 4

7 o

f 7

Mod

el R

espo

nse:

I. In

the

diag

ram

h =

28

mm

and

c =

94

mm

. A

r2=

1871

r2=

r259

5.56

=

r59

5.56

=

r24

.4m

m=

II.

A2 3---

hch3

2c-----+

=

2 3--28

9428

3

294

--------

-----+

=

1754

.67

116.

77+

=

1871

.44

mm

=

1871

mm

=

Las

t Pag

e C

ount


44

Unit SevenThe items in this unit are based on advertisements used in anti-smoking campaigns.


Item 11

Commentary

Item 11 is a three-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 5 Interpreting the meaning of … illustrations, 43 Analysing and 26 Explaining to others.

This item required students to study the given advertisement and clearly explain the message being communicated, the techniques used to get the message across and the emotions/feelings being targeted.

An A-grade response needed to provide the full message, describe and explain how the digitally altered arm was used to support the message and indicate how

the text of the illustration supported the message. Responses also needed to identify two emotions/feelings targeted by the advertisement and explain one of them. No inconsistencies or contradictions could occur across the response.

Some responses only partly attended to the task, e.g. described the digitally altered arm and the text but either did not explain how these features supported the message or identified only one emotion. To gain the highest grade, all requirements must be met correctly. Some responses incorrectly described an emotion/feeling felt by the child rather than the viewer of the advertisement.

Students should remember to read the task carefully and to analyse visual and textual elements rather than simply provide a list of what can be seen.

A B C D E N O

Item 11 5.3 13.2 69 9.9 1.8 0.7

Item 12 1.8 8.4 26.5 21.6 23.9 16.1 1.8


A B C N O

100%

D


Model response

The advertisement on the opposite page is trying to convince certain smokers to stop smoking.

Study this advertisement and clearly explain:

(a) what message is being communicated

(b) the techniques used to get the message across

(c) the emotions /feelings being targeted.

.....................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................

.....................................................................................................

(a)

(b)

(c)

The message is about how adults who smoke at home damage the health of children

due to second-hand smoke. The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation wants adults to

stop smoking at home.

Photo-shopping an adult’s arm holding a cigarette onto a boy’s body implies he is

forced to breathe in the second-hand smoke from a parent’s cigarette and is

equivalent to him smoking. The shocking facts about the harm second-hand smoke

causes in the UK, with 17 000 UK children being hospitalised in a year, supports

the image.

The image of the sad young child aims to evoke the feelings of guilt or remorse and

sadness in parents who smoke near their children.


46

UN

IT S

EV

EN

ITE

M 1

1

PER

FOR

MA

NC

E D

OM

AIN

Ma

rkin

g S

ch

em

e

Mark

ing

Un

it 1

2 o

f 3

N

Res

pons

e is

un

inte

lligi

ble

or d

oes n

ot

satis

fy th

e re

quir

emen

ts

for

any

othe

r gr

ade. O

No

resp

onse

ha

s bee

n m

ade

at a

ny ti

me.

5In

terp

retin

g th

e m

eani

ng o

f � il

lust

ratio

ns43

Ana

lysi

ng

26E

xpla

inin

g to

oth

ers

C

The

res

pons

e

�in

clud

es a

mes

sage

that

is b

ased

on

a re

ason

able

rea

ding

of t

he a

dver

tisem

ent

and

indi

cate

s how

this

mes

sage

is

supp

orte

d by

the

use

of o

ne o

f the

follo

win

g

�a

visu

al e

lem

ent

�th

e te

xt�

the

logo

.

One

em

otio

n/fe

elin

g ta

rget

ed b

y th

e ad

vert

isem

ent i

s ide

ntifi

ed.

The

res

pons

e

�cl

earl

y pr

ovid

es th

e fu

ll m

essa

ge

�de

scri

bes a

nd e

xpla

ins h

ow th

e di

gita

lly-

alte

red

arm

is u

sed

to su

ppor

t the

m

essa

ge�

indi

cate

s how

the

text

supp

orts

the

mes

sage

.

OR

A

The

res

pons

e

�cl

earl

y pr

ovid

es th

e fu

ll m

essa

ge

�de

scri

bes a

nd e

xpla

ins h

ow th

e di

gita

lly-

alte

red

arm

is u

sed

to su

ppor

t the

m

essa

ge�

indi

cate

s how

the

text

supp

orts

the

mes

sage

.

Two

emot

ions

/feel

ings

targ

eted

by

the

adve

rtis

emen

t are

iden

tifie

d, o

ne o

f whi

ch

is e

xpla

ined

.

No

inco

nsist

enci

es/c

ontr

adic

tions

occ

ur

acro

ss th

e re

spon

se.

B

The

res

pons

e

�pr

ovid

es th

e m

essa

ge

�de

scri

bes a

nd e

xpla

ins h

ow th

e di

gita

lly-

alte

red

arm

is u

sed

to su

ppor

t the

m

essa

ge

and

indi

cate

s how

this

mes

sage

is

supp

orte

d by

the

use

of o

ne o

f the

follo

win

g

�th

e te

xt�

the

logo

.

One

em

otio

n/fe

elin

g ta

rget

ed b

y th

e ad

vert

isem

ent i

s ide

ntifi

ed a

nd e

xpla

ined

.

No

inco

nsis

tenc

ies/

cont

radi

ctio

ns o

ccur

ac

ross

the

resp

onse

.

D

The

res

pons

e

�in

clud

es a

mes

sage

that

is b

ased

on

a re

ason

able

rea

ding

of t

he a

dver

tisem

ent

and

indi

cate

s how

this

mes

sage

is

supp

orte

d by

the u

se o

f one

of t

he fo

llow

ing

�a

visu

al e

lem

ent

�th

e te

xt�

the

logo

.

The

res

pons

e id

entif

ies

�a

mes

sage

that

is b

ased

on

a re

ason

able

re

adin

g of

the

adve

rtis

emen

t�

one

emot

ion/

feel

ing

targ

eted

by

the

adve

rtis

emen

t.

OR

Not

es:

1.A

ll pa

rts o

f the

res

pons

e ca

n w

ork

toge

ther

. The

refo

re, m

arke

rs n

eed

to

cons

ider

the w

hole

resp

onse

and

not

bas

e gra

ding

on

part

icul

ar se

ctio

ns o

f th

e re

spon

se.

2.A

�ful

l mes

sage

� mus

t ref

er to

a p

aren

t (ad

ult)

, chi

ld (c

hild

ren)

, pro

xim

ity

and

harm

.

3.A

res

pons

e th

at sa

tisfie

s the

req

uire

men

ts o

f a �f

ull m

essa

ge� a

lso

mee

ts

the

requ

irem

ents

of b

oth

�the

mes

sage

� and

�a m

essa

ge th

at is

bas

ed o

n a

reas

onab

le r

eadi

ng o

f the

adv

ertis

emen

t�. S

imila

rly,

a r

espo

nse

that

sa

tisfie

s the

req

uire

men

ts o

f �th

e m

essa

ge� a

lso

mee

ts th

e re

quir

emen

ts o

f �a

mes

sage

that

is b

ased

on

a re

ason

able

rea

ding

of t

he a

dver

tisem

ent�.

4.A

n em

otio

n/fe

elin

g m

ust b

e fr

om th

e pe

rspe

ctiv

e of

the

read

er/v

iew

er a

nd

be c

onsi

sten

t with

/ref

lect

how

the

targ

et a

udie

nce

is m

eant

to r

eact

to it

.

Mod

el R

espo

nse:

(a) T

he m

essa

ge is

abo

ut h

ow a

dults

who

smok

e at

hom

e da

mag

e th

e he

alth

of c

hild

ren

due

to se

cond

-han

d sm

oke.

T

he R

oy C

astle

Lun

g C

ance

r Fo

unda

tion

wan

ts a

dults

to st

op sm

okin

g at

hom

e.

(b) P

hoto

-sho

ppin

g an

adu

lt�s a

rm h

oldi

ng a

cig

aret

te o

nto

a bo

y�s b

ody

impl

ies h

e is

forc

ed to

bre

athe

in th

e se

cond

-han

d sm

oke

from

a p

aren

t�s c

igar

ette

and

is e

quiv

alen

t to

him

smok

ing.

The

shoc

king

fact

s abo

ut th

e ha

rm

seco

nd-h

and

smok

e ca

uses

in th

e U

K, w

ith 1

7000

UK

chi

ldre

n be

ing

hosp

italis

ed in

a y

ear,

supp

orts

the

imag

e.

(c) T

he im

age

of th

e sa

d yo

ung

child

aim

s to

evok

e th

e fe

elin

gs o

f gui

lt or

rem

orse

and

sadn

ess i

n pa

rent

s who

sm

oke

near

thei

r ch

ildre

n.


Item 12

Commentary

Item 12 is a four-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 48 Justifying, 27 Expounding a viewpoint, 4 Interpreting the meaning of words and 31 Interrelating.

This item required students to give three significant reasons why a roadside billboard would be an effective medium for the given advertisement.

The cue instructed students to explain their reasons clearly.

An A-grade response needed to provide three different reasons based on features specific to a billboard displaying the advertisement. It also needed to make

detailed statements that supported the use of a billboard as an effective medium for this advertisement. No unreasonable assumptions could be used.

Some responses only provided reasons for a roadside billboard being an effective advertising medium and did not link them with the specific anti-smoking advertisement that was provided. The stem specified ‘this’ advertisement.

Students should remember to read the stem and any cues carefully so that all aspects of the question are addressed.

A B C N O

100%

D E


48

Model response

The specific market for the advertisement below is long-term smokers. It has been proposed that roadside billboards be used as its medium.

Give three significant reasons why a roadside billboard would be an effective medium for this advertisement.

Advertisement: market — long-term smokers

.........................................................................................

.........................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

Explain your reasons clearly.

This anti-smoking message would be an effective medium on a billboard as

long-term smokers are probably also drivers so may have a regular

pattern of smoking while driving to work and means they would see this billboard regularly.

The message is effective because of its double meaning presented in a clever way. The

‘keep smoking’ really means ‘stop smoking’ or you will develop lung cancer making this

message the opposite of what you would expect so the motorist thinks about their

smoking habit as they continue to drive. As a billboard is in a public place for all to see, it

is not easy for smokers driving past to avoid reading the unpleasant message about

smoking this particular billboard presents. This way the message would more likely stick

in the mind of the long-term smoker.


UN

IT S

EV

EN

ITE

M 1

2

PER

FOR

MA

NC

E D

OM

AIN

Ma

rkin

g S

ch

em

e

Mark

ing

Un

it 1

3 o

f 3

N

Res

pons

e is

un

inte

lligi

ble

or d

oes n

ot

satis

fy th

e re

quir

emen

ts

for

any

othe

r gr

ade. O

No

resp

onse

ha

s bee

n m

ade

at a

ny ti

me.

48Ju

stify

ing

27E

xpou

ndin

g a

view

poin

t

4In

terp

retin

g th

e m

eani

ng o

f wor

ds �

31In

terr

elat

ing

C

The

resp

onse

give

s TW

O d

iffer

ent

reas

ons.

ON

E o

f the

rea

sons

�is

bas

ed o

n fe

atur

es sp

ecifi

c to

a ro

adsi

de b

illbo

ard

disp

layi

ng

this

adv

ertis

emen

t�

cons

ists

of d

etai

led

stat

emen

ts

that

supp

ort a

bill

boar

d be

ing

an e

ffect

ive

med

ium

for

this

ad

vert

isem

ent.

The

oth

er r

easo

n

�is

bas

ed o

n fe

atur

es sp

ecifi

c to

a ro

adsi

de b

illbo

ard

disp

layi

ng

an a

dver

tisem

ent

�co

nsis

ts o

f sta

tem

ents

that

su

ppor

t a b

illbo

ard

bein

g an

ef

fect

ive

med

ium

for

an

adve

rtis

emen

t.

A

The

res

pons

e gi

ves T

HR

EE

di

ffere

nt r

easo

ns.

The

TH

RE

E r

easo

ns

�ar

e bas

ed o

n fe

atur

es sp

ecifi

c to

a ro

adsi

de b

illbo

ard

disp

layi

ng

this

adv

ertis

emen

t�

cons

ist o

f det

aile

d st

atem

ents

th

at su

ppor

t a b

illbo

ard

bein

g an

eff

ectiv

e m

ediu

m fo

r th

is

adve

rtis

emen

t.

No

unre

ason

able

ass

umpt

ions

are

us

ed.

B

The

res

pons

e gi

ves T

HR

EE

diff

eren

t rea

sons

.

TW

O o

f the

rea

sons

�ar

e bas

ed o

n fe

atur

es sp

ecifi

c to

a ro

adsi

de b

illbo

ard

disp

layi

ng

this

adv

ertis

emen

t�

cons

ist o

f det

aile

d st

atem

ents

th

at su

ppor

t a b

illbo

ard

bein

g an

eff

ectiv

e m

ediu

m fo

r th

is

adve

rtis

emen

t.

The

oth

er r

easo

n

�is

base

d on

feat

ures

spec

ific t

o a

road

side

bill

boar

d di

spla

ying

an

adv

ertis

emen

t�

cons

ists

of s

tate

men

ts th

at

supp

ort a

bill

boar

d be

ing

an

effe

ctiv

e m

ediu

m fo

r an

ad

vert

isem

ent.

No

unre

ason

able

ass

umpt

ions

are

us

ed.

D

The

res

pons

e gi

ves O

NE

rea

son.

Thi

s rea

son

�is

bas

ed o

n fe

atur

es sp

ecifi

c to

a ro

adsi

de b

illbo

ard

disp

layi

ng

this

adv

ertis

emen

t�

cons

ists

of d

etai

led

stat

emen

ts

that

supp

ort a

bill

boar

d be

ing

an e

ffec

tive

med

ium

for

this

ad

vert

isem

ent.

The

res

pons

e gi

ves T

HR

EE

di

ffer

ent r

easo

ns.

The

TH

RE

E r

easo

ns

�ar

e bas

ed o

n fe

atur

es sp

ecifi

c to

a ro

adsi

de b

illbo

ard

disp

layi

ng

an a

dver

tisem

ent

�co

nsis

t of s

tate

men

ts th

at

supp

ort a

bill

boar

d be

ing

an

effe

ctiv

e m

ediu

m fo

r an

ad

vert

isem

ent.OR

E

The

resp

onse

give

s TW

O d

iffer

ent

reas

ons.

The

TW

O r

easo

ns

�ar

e bas

ed o

n fe

atur

es sp

ecifi

c to

a ro

adsi

de b

illbo

ard

disp

layi

ng

an a

dver

tisem

ent

�co

nsis

t of s

tate

men

ts th

at

supp

ort a

bill

boar

d be

ing

an

effe

ctiv

e m

ediu

m fo

r an

ad

vert

isem

ent.

Mod

el R

espo

nse:

Thi

s ant

i-sm

okin

g m

essa

ge w

ould

be

an e

ffec

tive

med

ium

on

a bi

llboa

rd a

s lon

g-te

rm sm

oker

s are

pro

babl

y al

so d

rive

rs so

may

hav

e a

regu

lar

patt

ern

of sm

okin

g w

hile

dri

ving

to w

ork

and

mea

ns th

ey w

ould

see

this

bi

llboa

rd r

egul

arly

. The

mes

sage

is e

ffec

tive

beca

use

of it

s dou

ble

mea

ning

pre

sent

ed in

a c

leve

r w

ay. T

he

�kee

p sm

okin

g� r

eally

mea

ns �s

top

smok

ing�

or

you

will

dev

elop

lung

can

cer

mak

ing

this

mes

sage

the

oppo

site

of w

hat y

ou w

ould

exp

ect s

o th

e m

otor

ist t

hink

s abo

ut th

eir

smok

ing

habi

t as t

hey

cont

inue

to

driv

e. A

s a b

illbo

ard

is in

a p

ublic

pla

ce fo

r al

l to

see,

it is

not

eas

y fo

r sm

oker

s dri

ving

pas

t to

avoi

d re

adin

g th

e unp

leas

ant m

essa

ge a

bout

smok

ing

this

par

ticul

ar b

illbo

ard

pres

ents

. Thi

s way

the m

essa

ge w

ould

mor

e lik

ely

stic

k in

the

min

d of

the

long

-term

smok

er.

Not

e:1.

Unl

ess s

tate

d ot

herw

ise,

ass

ume t

hat a

ny re

fere

nce t

o an

adv

ertis

emen

t whi

le d

rivi

ng

(as d

rive

r or

pas

seng

er) m

eans

it h

as b

een

seen

on

a ro

adsi

de b

illbo

ard.

Las

t Pag

e C

ount


50

Unit EightThe items in this unit are based on setting up a sprinkler system according to a given plan and using a table of information to choose pipes.


Item 13

Commentary

Item 13 is a three-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 37 Applying a progression of steps to achieve the required answer and 44 Synthesising.

This item presented students with a scale plan showing the layout for a sprinkler system using six sprinklers. The output of each sprinkler was given as 3.6 gallons per minute and the distance between the sprinklers as 30 feet. From the distance information it could be determined that the grid squares were 10 feet by 10 feet. It was explained that a gallon of water would be enough to cover a 1 foot by 1 foot

area to a depth of 0.134 feet (i.e. 1 gallon of water for 0.134 cubic feet). Students were required to calculate how long the water supply would need to be left on so that the shaded area was watered to a depth of 0.080 feet.

The cue directed students to show all steps.

An A-grade response needed to show a method that used all necessary data pieces to determine the number of gallons required to cover the shaded area and then the time it would take for the six sprinklers to deliver this amount of water.

Students should remember to break a complex problem into the smaller parts that build on each other to provide the final answer. This item required that all six pieces of information were used correctly and synthesised into an answer. In some responses one or two of the data-pieces were not considered, which resulted in incorrect answers. Problems in which several parts need to be combined to give the final answer are more easily handled correctly if consistent communication is maintained, e.g. using full and correct units when working with values. The best responses were careful to specify the units, gallons per minute, cubic feet per second, etc. throughout and annotate each line of calculation. This practice also allows for easier checking to ensure the correct progression of steps has been fully completed.

A B C D E N O

Item 13 4.7 6.7 11.2 14.2 46.7 16.4

Item 14 9.7 11.6 8.2 25.2 2.2 18.9 24.2


A B C N O

100%

D


Model response

Determine how long the water supply will need to be left on so that the water from the six sprinklers in the system shown will spread evenly across the darker shaded area to an average depth of 0.080 feet.

..........................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

Show all steps. Area of lawn = 3900 square feet.

Volume of water to be used = 3900 × 0.08 = 312 cubic feet.

One gallon = 0.134 cubic feet.

Gallons required = 312 ÷ 0.134 = 2328.358 gal.

Taps supply = 6 × 3.6 = 21.6 gpm.

Time for tap to be turned on = 2328.358 ÷ 21.6 ≈ 107.8 min.


52

PER

FOR

MA

NC

E D

OM

AIN

Ma

rkin

g S

ch

em

e

Mark

ing

Un

it 2

3 o

f 5

UN

IT E

IGH

TIT

EM

13

N

Res

pons

e is

un

inte

lligi

ble

or d

oes n

ot

satis

fy th

e re

quir

emen

ts

for

any

othe

r gr

ade. O

No

resp

onse

ha

s bee

n m

ade

at a

ny ti

me.

37A

pply

ing

a pr

ogre

ssio

n of

step

s to

achi

eve

the

requ

ired

ans

wer

44Sy

nthe

sisi

ng

C

The

res

pons

e sh

ows

�FO

UR

of t

he d

ata

piec

es u

sed

mea

ning

fully

�in

dica

tions

of w

hat i

s bei

ng ca

lcul

ated

by

the

cred

ited

data

pie

ces.

A

The

res

pons

e pr

ovid

es

�a

met

hod

that

cor

rect

ly u

ses a

ll th

e da

ta p

iece

s�

corr

ect t

ime

give

n in

app

ropr

iate

uni

ts

�re

ason

ing

for

the

prog

ress

ion

of st

eps.

No

inco

rrec

t inf

orm

atio

n or

wor

king

is u

sed

to o

btai

n th

e an

swer

.

B

The

res

pons

e, a

llow

ing

for

at m

ost o

ne

obse

rvab

le m

echa

nica

l err

or a

nd

cons

eque

ntia

lly c

orre

ct w

orki

ng a

s ap

plic

able

, pro

vide

s

�a

met

hod

that

cor

rect

ly u

ses F

IVE

da

ta p

iece

s�

a tim

e.

D

The

res

pons

e sh

ows

�T

HR

EE

of t

he d

ata

piec

es u

sed

mea

ning

fully

�in

dica

tions

of w

hat i

s bei

ng ca

lcul

ated

by

the

cred

ited

data

pie

ces.

Not

es:

1.T

he d

ata

piec

es a

re:

�ar

ea o

f 1 sq

uare

= 1

00 sq

ft

�nu

mbe

r of

squa

res =

39

�sp

rink

ler

flow

rat

e =

3.6

gpm

�nu

mbe

r of

spri

nkle

rs =

6

�he

ight

on

1 sq

ft fo

r 1

gallo

n =

0.13

4 ft

�he

ight

req

uire

d on

shad

ed a

rea

= 0.

08 ft

.

2.A

n ob

serv

able

mec

hani

cal e

rror

is a

tran

scri

ptio

n er

ror

or a

n in

corr

ect

resu

lt to

a c

orre

ctly

stat

ed o

pera

tion.

3.To

asc

erta

in w

heth

er o

ne o

f the

dat

a pi

eces

has

bee

n us

ed m

eani

ngfu

lly,

chec

k fo

r ev

iden

ce to

war

ds th

e so

lutio

n.

4.T

ime

3910

06

3.6

--------

--------

-----0.

080

0.13

4----

--------

-=

Mod

el R

espo

nses

:1.

Are

a of

law

n =

3900

squa

re fe

et.

Volu

me

of w

ater

to b

e us

ed =

390

0 ×

0.08

= 3

12 c

ubic

feet

.O

ne g

allo

n =

0.13

4 cu

bic

feet

.G

allo

ns r

equi

red

= 31

2 ÷

0.13

4 =

2328

.358

gal

.Ta

ps su

pply

= 6

× 3

.6 =

21.

6 gp

m.

Tim

e fo

r ta

p to

be

turn

ed o

n =

2328

.358

÷ 2

1.6

107

.8 m

in.

2.1

gallo

n =

0.13

4 ft

× 1

ft ×

1 ft

= 0

.134

ft³.

One

spri

nkle

r�s o

utpu

t = 3

.6 g

pm ×

0.1

34 ft

³ = 0

.482

4 ft³

per

min

.E

ach

squa

re fo

ot n

eeds

0.0

8 ft

. O

ne sp

rink

ler

will

take

0.0

8 ÷

0.48

24 =

0.1

658

min

utes

to w

ater

one

squa

re fo

ot.

Are

a to

be

wat

ered

= 3

9 ×

100

ft² =

390

0 ft²

.Ti

me

take

n by

one

spri

nkle

r w

ould

be

3900

ft² ×

0.1

658

min

per

ft² =

646

.62

min

.Si

x sp

rink

lers

= 6

46.6

2 m

÷ 6

= 1

07.7

7 m

in

1 h

our

48 m

in to

wat

er th

e sh

aded

are

a.

3.T

he n

umbe

r of

dar

ker

shad

ed sq

uare

s = (2

× 8

) + (1

× 7

) + (1

× 6

) + (2

× 5

) = 1

6 +

7 +

6 +

10 =

39

squa

res.

Eac

h sq

uare

is 1

0 fe

et b

y 10

feet

= 1

00 sq

ft. S

o da

rker

squa

res h

ave

an a

rea

of 3

900

sq ft

. he

refo

reea

ch sp

rink

ler

mus

t wat

er 3

900

÷ 6

= 65

0 sq

ft.

One

gal

lon

wat

ers o

ne sq

ft to

a d

epth

of 0

.134

ft b

ut o

nly

0.08

0 ft

is r

equi

red.

So o

nly

0.08

0 ÷

0.13

4 0

.597

gal

lons

are

nee

ded

to w

ater

eac

h sq

ft sa

tisfa

ctor

ily.

As e

ach

spri

nkle

r de

liver

s 3.6

gal

lons

per

min

ute,

this

is e

noug

h to

wat

er 3

.6 ÷

0.5

97

6.0

3 sq

ft p

er m

inut

e.So

the

time

take

n to

wat

er 6

50 sq

ft =

650

÷ 6

.03

107

.79

min

utes

or

107

min

48

sec.


Item 14

Commentary

Item 14 is a four-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 35 Extrapolating, 17 Estimating numerical magnitude, 22 Structuring a mathematical argument and 2 Finding material in an indexed collection.

This item comprised two parts. In the first part students were required to complete the table with the pipe size that was suitable for each of the given water-flow rates and in the second part they had to decide whether the 2- or the 2½-inch pipe is the more suitable pipe size for the water-flow rate of 38 gpm.

The cue instructed students to give details pertinent to their decision.

An A-grade response needed to provide the list of the five correct pipe sizes based on the water-flow rate data given in the table. In the second part, evidence of correctly extrapolating the values in the 2- and 2½-inch pipe size columns had to be provided. The response needed to provide a decision as to which pipe size to use based upon the 5 fps rule (for safety and efficiency) described in the stimulus material. This decision needed to be explicitly stated and correctly explained.

Students should interrogate a table fully before attempting to use data from it. In this particular table in the water-flow rate column the increments changed from 1 to 2 gpm after the 12 gpm row. Some responses showed that this change was not recognised and thus caused the extrapolations to be incorrect.

A B C D N O

100%

E


54

Model response

I. The required water-flow rates in sections of a sprinkler system are given below.

Use Table 1 to find the minimum pipe size needed for each of the required water-flow rates. Consider safety and efficiency. Complete the pipe-size row.

pipe size (inches)

6.34.4121.6 18.0 10.8 7.2

11112 11

4 114

34

II. Table 1 can be extended for use when the required water-flow rates are greater thanthe 22 gpm the table shows.

Decide whether the minimum pipe size to suit a water-flow rate of 38 gpm is 2 inch or 2 inch. Clearly explain and justify your decision.

...........................................................................................

...........................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

12---

Give details pertinent to your decision.

for 2-inch pipe: from table an increase of 2 gpm increases the velocity value

by approximately 0.22

22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38

2.38 2.60 2.82 3.04 3.26 3.48 3.70 3.92 4.14

for 2½-inch pipe: increase of 2 gpm increases the velocity value by approximately 0.15

22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38

1.66 1.81 1.96 2.11 2.26 2.41 2.56 2.71 2.86

safety rule: can’t exceed 5 fps which neither size pipe does

efficiency rule: velocity should be as close as possible to 5 fps

The 2-inch pipe with 4.14 fps is the best as 4.14 fps is closer to 5 fps than 2.86 fps.


UN

IT E

IGH

TIT

EM

14

PER

FOR

MA

NC

E D

OM

AIN

Ma

rkin

g S

ch

em

e

Mark

ing

Un

it 2

4 o

f 5

N

Res

pons

e is

un

inte

lligi

ble

or d

oes n

ot

satis

fy th

e re

quir

emen

ts

for

any

othe

r gr

ade. O

No

resp

onse

ha

s bee

n m

ade

at a

ny ti

me.

35E

xtra

pola

ting

17E

stim

atin

g nu

mer

ical

mag

nitu

de

22St

ruct

urin

g �

a m

athe

mat

ical

arg

umen

t2

Find

ing

mat

eria

l in

an in

dexe

d co

llect

ion

C

The

res

pons

e

for

part

I pr

ovid

es

�FO

UR

of t

he c

orre

ct p

ipe

size

s co

rrec

tly li

sted

for

part

II, p

rovi

des

�ev

iden

ce o

f ext

rapo

latin

g in

an

atte

mpt

to o

btai

n a

nece

ssar

y va

lue.

The

res

pons

e

for

part

II, a

llow

ing

for

at m

ost

one

obse

rvab

le m

echa

nica

l err

or

and

cons

eque

ntia

lly c

orre

ct

wor

king

as a

pplic

able

, pro

vide

s

�ev

iden

ce o

f ext

rapo

latin

g th

e ne

cess

ary

valu

e/s.

A d

ecis

ion

to u

se a

co

nseq

uent

ially

cor

rect

pip

e si

ze

is e

xplic

itly

stat

ed.

OR

A

The

res

pons

e

for

part

I pr

ovid

es

�th

e FI

VE

cor

rect

pip

e si

zes

corr

ectly

list

ed

for

part

II p

rovi

des

�ev

iden

ce o

f cor

rect

ly

extr

apol

atin

g th

e ne

cess

ary

valu

e/s.

The

dec

isio

n to

use

the 2

-inch

pip

e ra

ther

than

the

2½-in

ch p

ipe

is

expl

icitl

y st

ated

and

cor

rect

ly

expl

aine

d.

No

inco

rrec

t inf

orm

atio

n or

st

atem

ents

are

use

d to

obt

ain

the

answ

er.

B

The

res

pons

e

for

part

I pr

ovid

es

�FO

UR

of t

he c

orre

ct p

ipe

sizes

co

rrec

tly li

sted

for

part

II, a

llow

ing

for

at m

ost

one

obse

rvab

le m

echa

nica

l err

or

and

cons

eque

ntia

lly c

orre

ct

wor

king

as a

pplic

able

, pro

vide

s

�ev

iden

ce o

f ext

rapo

latin

g th

e ne

cess

ary

valu

e/s.

A d

ecis

ion

to u

se a

co

nseq

uent

ially

cor

rect

pip

e si

ze

is e

xplic

itly

stat

ed.

D

The

res

pons

e

for

part

I pr

ovid

es

�FO

UR

of t

he c

orre

ct p

ipe

size

s co

rrec

tly li

sted

.

The

res

pons

e

for

part

II, p

rovi

des

�ev

iden

ce o

f ext

rapo

latin

g in

an

atte

mpt

to o

btai

n a

nece

ssar

y va

lue.

A d

ecis

ion

to u

se a

co

nseq

uent

ially

cor

rect

pip

e si

ze

is e

xplic

itly

stat

ed.

OR

E

The

res

pons

e

for

part

I pr

ovid

es

�T

HR

EE

of t

he co

rrec

t pip

e siz

es

corr

ectly

list

ed.

The

res

pons

e

for

part

II, p

rovi

des

�ev

iden

ce o

f ext

rapo

latin

g in

an

atte

mpt

to o

btai

n a

nece

ssar

y va

lue.

OR

Not

es:

1.T

he fi

ve c

orre

ct p

ipe

size

s are

2.T

he d

ecis

ion

to u

se th

e 2-

inch

pip

e or

the

deci

sion

to u

se a

co

nseq

uent

ially

cor

rect

pip

e si

ze a

nd th

e co

rrec

t exp

lana

tion

mus

t be

base

d on

ext

rapo

late

d da

ta a

nd 5

fps r

ules

.

3.A

n ob

serv

able

mec

hani

cal e

rror

is a

tran

scri

ptio

n er

ror,

an in

corr

ect

resu

lt to

a c

orre

ctly

stat

ed o

pera

tion

or u

sing

the

2 gp

m in

crem

ent

from

the

tabl

e as

a 1

gpm

incr

emen

t.

4.A

nec

essa

ry v

alue

is th

e ve

loci

ty o

f wat

er in

the

pipe

at 3

8 gp

m.

11

11

1 2

1 41

1 4

3 4


56

Ma

rkin

g S

ch

em

eU

NIT

EIG

HT

ITE

M 1

4

Mark

ing

Un

it 2

5 o

f 5

Mod

el R

espo

nses

:1. I. II

.T

he w

ater

-flo

w r

ate

of a

2-in

ch p

ipe

incr

ease

s by

0.11

eve

ry 1

gpm

.

The

wat

er-f

low

rat

e of

a 2

½-in

ch p

ipe

incr

ease

s by

0.07

then

0.0

8 an

d th

is r

epea

ts c

ontin

uous

ly.

Wat

er-f

low

rat

e in

crea

se a

vera

ges 0

.075

fps e

very

1 g

pm.

2-in

ch p

ipe

0.10

+ 0

.11

× 37

= 4

.17,

ther

efor

e ve

loci

ty if

usi

ng 2

-inch

pip

e w

ould

be

4.17

fps.

2½-in

ch p

ipe

0.15

+ 0

.075

× 3

6 =

2.85

, the

refo

re v

eloc

ity if

usi

ng 2

½-in

ch p

ipe

wou

ld b

e 2.

85 fp

s.

The

refo

re th

e 2-in

ch p

ipe i

s the

min

imum

size

to su

it a

wat

er-f

low

rat

e of

38

gpm

as t

he v

eloc

ity is

be

low

5 fp

s, bu

t as c

lose

to 5

fps a

s pos

sibl

e ou

t of t

he tw

o pi

pes.

wat

er-�

ow

rat

e (g

pm

)

pip

e si

ze (

inch

es)

14.4

3.6

21.6

18.0

10.8

7.2 1

11

11 2

1 41

1 4

3 4

2. I. II.

for

2-in

ch p

ipe:

from

tabl

e an

incr

ease

of 2

gpm

incr

ease

s the

vel

ocity

val

ue b

y ap

prox

imat

ely

0.22

for

2½-in

ch p

ipe:

incr

ease

of 2

gpm

incr

ease

s the

vel

ocity

val

ue b

y ap

prox

imat

ely

0.15

safe

ty r

ule:

can

�t e

xcee

d 5

fps w

hich

nei

ther

size

pip

e do

es

effic

ienc

y ru

le: v

eloc

ity sh

ould

be

as c

lose

as p

ossi

ble

to 5

fps

The

2-in

ch p

ipe

with

4.1

4 fp

s is t

he b

est a

s 4.1

4 fp

s is c

lose

r to

5 fp

s tha

n 2.

86 fp

s.

2224

2628

3032

3436

38

2.38

2.60

2.82

3.04

3.26

3.48

3.70

3.92

4.14

2224

2628

3032

3436

38

1.66

1.81

1.96

2.11

2.26

2.41

2.56

2.71

2.86

wat

er-�

ow

rat

e (g

pm

)

pip

e si

ze (

inch

es)

14.4

3.6

21.6

18.0

10.8

7.2 1

11

11 2

1 41

1 4

3 4

Las

t Pag

e C

ount


Unit NineThe items in this unit are based on a short play about a cheating incident at a school.


Item 15

Commentary

Item 15 is a four-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 33 Inferring, 52 Searching and locating … information and 12 Compiling lists.

This item required students to list the events that happened in order: starting at the night before the test when student A watches TV for five hours and ending with the morning after the test when A and H arrive outside Mr Hill’s office and are about to have their conversation.

The cue directed students to use point form and to indicate when each event happened.

An A-grade response needed to provide the seven essential events in the correct sequence and could include additional acceptable events. Any acceptable events included also had to be correctly positioned within the sequence. The response needed to provide evidence of an understanding about when each of the essential events happened. No errors or incorrect statements could appear in an A-grade response.

Students should remember to consider all relevant information provided before they begin to craft their response. The stem indicated that the introductory information as well as the dialogue should be considered when listing the events that occurred. The event mentioned in the introduction, i.e. ‘they had both been called to the office the previous day to explain their conduct’ was often omitted from the list of events in responses.

Students should be precise in their use of language to convey their ideas accurately. Some responses incorrectly listed A’s mum being called to the office rather than already being in the office as indicated in the script.

A B C D E N O

Item 15 2.2 10.9 23.6 22.2 18.4 16.7 6.0

item 16 3.2 4.8 33.4 29.9 9.6 6.3 12.8


DA B C N O

100%

E


58

Model response

Enough evidence is given in the introductory information and in the dialogue to be able to infer the sequence of events leading up to A and H arriving outside Mr Hill’s office.

List, in order, the events that happened. Start at the night before the test when student A watches TV for five hours. End with the morning after the test when A and H arrive outside Mr Hill’s office and are about to have their conversation.

Use point form. Indicate when each event happened.

The first event and an indication of when it happened has been given.

• A and H study together before test on day of test

• In the test A copies from H

• A and H are called to the principal’s office later that day

• That night H tells mother

• H’s mother contacts principal the next morning

• A’s mother in the office that morning

• In the morning A and H arrive outside office


UN

IT N

INE

ITE

M 1

5

PER

FOR

MA

NC

E D

OM

AIN

Ma

rkin

g S

ch

em

e

Mark

ing

Un

it 9

1 o

f 3

N

Res

pons

e is

un

inte

lligi

ble

or d

oes n

ot

satis

fy th

e re

quir

emen

ts

for

any

othe

r gr

ade. O

No

resp

onse

ha

s bee

n m

ade

at a

ny ti

me.

33In

ferr

ing

52Se

arch

ing

and

loca

ting

� in

form

atio

n12

Com

pilin

g lis

ts �

C

The

resp

onse

pro

vide

s FIV

E o

f th

e es

sent

ial e

vent

s, in

cor

rect

se

quen

ce.

A

The

res

pons

e

�pr

ovid

es th

e SE

VE

N e

ssen

tial

even

ts in

the

corr

ect s

eque

nce

and

�m

ay in

clud

e ac

cept

able

eve

nts.

Acc

epta

ble

even

ts th

at a

re

incl

uded

mus

t be

corr

ectly

po

sitio

ned

with

in th

e se

quen

ce.

The

re is

an

unde

rsta

ndin

g of

whe

n th

e es

sent

ial e

vent

s hap

pene

d.

No

erro

rs o

r in

corr

ect s

tate

men

ts

appe

ar in

the

resp

onse

.

B

The

res

pons

e, a

llow

ing

for

at m

ost t

wo

erro

rs (e

ach

of a

diff

eren

t typ

e)

�pr

ovid

es e

ssen

tial e

vent

s in

sequ

ence

and

�m

ay in

clud

e ac

cept

able

eve

nts

posit

ione

d w

ithin

the

sequ

ence

.

D

The

resp

onse

pro

vide

s FO

UR

of

the

esse

ntia

l eve

nts,

in c

orre

ct

sequ

ence

.

E

The

resp

onse

pro

vide

s TH

RE

E of

th

e es

sent

ial e

vent

s, in

cor

rect

se

quen

ce.

Mod

el R

espo

nse:

�A

and

H st

udy

toge

ther

bef

ore

test

on

day

of te

st

�In

the

test

A c

opie

s fro

m H

�A

and

H a

re c

alle

d to

the

prin

cipa

l�s o

ffic

e la

ter

that

day

�T

hat n

ight

H te

lls m

othe

r

�H

�s m

othe

r co

ntac

ts p

rinc

ipal

the

next

mor

ning

�A�

s mot

her

in th

e of

fice

that

mor

ning

�In

the

mor

ning

A a

nd H

arr

ive

outs

ide

offic

e

Not

es:

1.T

he se

ven

esse

ntia

l eve

nts i

n th

e co

rrec

t seq

uenc

e ar

e:

1A

&H

stud

y to

geth

er

2A

cop

ies o

ff H

3

A&

H c

alle

d to

off

ice

4H

tells

mum

5

H�s

mum

cal

ls sc

hool

6

A�s m

um in

off

ice

7A

&H

arr

ive

outs

ide

offic

e

2.A

ccep

tabl

e ev

ents

cou

ld re

ason

ably

hav

e ha

ppen

ed d

urin

g th

e st

ipul

ated

tim

e fr

ame,

e.g

. Mr

Hill

is

told

they

hav

e th

e sa

me

answ

ers.

3.In

corr

ect s

tate

men

ts, o

nly

cons

ider

ed a

t the

A-g

rade

, ref

er to

eve

nts w

here

A is

use

d in

stea

d of

H o

r ot

her

lett

ers a

re u

sed

or th

e te

st is

mis

nam

ed a

s mat

hs o

r so

cial

stud

ies t

est.

At t

he o

ther

gra

des (

B, C

, D a

nd E

), if

thro

ugho

ut th

e re

spon

se A

is u

sed

for

H a

nd v

ice

vers

a or

le

tter

s oth

er th

an A

or

H a

re u

sed

cons

iste

ntly

, rea

d th

e re

spon

se a

s if t

hey

are

bein

g us

ed c

orre

ctly

an

d gr

ade

acco

rdin

gly.

4.T

here

are

thre

e po

ssib

le ty

pes o

f err

ors:

�ac

cura

cy e

rror

� a

n ev

ent i

s giv

en b

ut it

did

not

hap

pen

or it

hap

pene

d ou

tsid

e th

e st

ipul

ated

tim

e-fr

ame

�om

issio

n er

ror

� a

n es

sent

ial e

vent

is m

issin

g

�se

quen

ce e

rror

� a

n es

sent

ial o

r ac

cept

able

eve

nt is

inco

rrec

tly p

ositi

oned

with

in th

e se

quen

ce.

5.Pr

ovid

ing

the

requ

ired

num

ber

of e

ssen

tial e

vent

s are

giv

en a

nd th

ey a

re in

cor

rect

sequ

ence

, any

nu

mbe

r of

err

ors m

ay a

ppea

r in

the

resp

onse

with

out p

enal

ty a

t the

C-,

D- a

nd E

-gra

des.


60

Item 16

Commentary

Item 16 is a four-star item that tested achievement in CCEs 28 Empathising, 26 Explaining to others, 43 Analysing and 55 Gesturing.

This item required students to consider two different ways the actor playing H could deliver the final words of the play that would result in two different meanings being conveyed. For each of the different ways of delivering the words, students had to describe how H might use two of an actor’s tools: voice, body movements/gestures or facial expressions. For each delivery, students had to

ensure the intended meaning was clearly conveyed. The response area for this item was organised in two sections so students were prompted to consider a first meaning and delivery and a second meaning and delivery.

The cue in each section directed students to be specific in their descriptions.

An A-grade response for each section needed to provide a meaning and give a description of how to use two of the tools of the trade to achieve that meaning. The use of each of the tools had to be explicitly linked to the intended meaning in both of the sections. The meanings had to be different and could not be inconsistent with a reasonable reading of the play. No transcription errors could appear in the response.

Students should remember to read the introduction to an item carefully so they understand definitions and explanations that are provided. In this item an explanation of the tools of an actor’s trade was given. In understanding the possible meaning of a play script’s final line, the entire script must be understood. A cue must always be attended to. The cue to ‘Be specific in your descriptions’ was important for success in this item as some responses did not receive the highest grade as the descriptions given were too general.

A B C N O

100%

D E


Model response

The last line of the play has H asking A:

Consider two different ways the actor playing H could deliver these words that would result in two different meanings being conveyed.

For each of the different ways of delivering the words, describe how the actor could use two of the tools — voice, body movement /gestures, facial expressions — when delivering the words to achieve an intended meaning. For each delivery ensure the intended meaning is stated clearly.

FIRST MEANING AND DELIVERY

.............................................................................................

.............................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

So what are you going to do about today’s social studies test?

Be specific in your description.

This line may be read as meaning, ‘OK, if you are not going to cheat, how on

earth are you going to pass today’s test?’ I suggest the actor deliver these

lines with a long gloating ‘So’ followed by the rest of the sentence in a mocking/taunting

tone, with special stress on the words ‘you’ and ‘today’s’. The delivery of the words should

be accompanied by an exaggerated, arm-long finger pointing at A. H is to give impression

that she’ll enjoy seeing A’s train wreck.

SECOND MEANING AND DELIVERY

.............................................................................................

.............................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

...........................................................................................................

Be specific in your description.

This line may be read as meaning, ‘So, once we’ve sorted this case of cheating,

what’s your plan for cheating in today’s test?’ H should lean in toward A

conspiratorially and say the words in an eager whisper. H is to give the impression that

the past is forgotten and she and A are again partners in crime.


62

UN

IT N

INE

ITE

M 1

6

PER

FOR

MA

NC

E D

OM

AIN

Ma

rkin

g S

ch

em

e

Mark

ing

Un

it 9

2 o

f 3

N

Res

pons

e is

un

inte

lligi

ble

or d

oes n

ot

satis

fy th

e re

quir

emen

ts

for

any

othe

r gr

ade. O

No

resp

onse

ha

s bee

n m

ade

at a

ny ti

me.

28E

mpa

this

ing

26E

xpla

inin

g to

oth

ers

43A

naly

sing

55G

estu

ring

C

For

each

sect

ion,

the

resp

onse

�pr

ovid

es a

mea

ning

.

The

mea

ning

s are

diff

eren

t and

ar

e no

t inc

onsi

sten

t with

a

reas

onab

le r

eadi

ng o

f the

pla

y.

For

one

sect

ion,

the

resp

onse

�pr

ovid

es a

mea

ning

�

give

s a d

escr

iptio

n of

how

to u

se

ON

E o

f the

tool

s to

achi

eve

that

m

eani

ng.

The

mea

ning

is n

ot in

cons

iste

nt

with

a r

easo

nabl

e re

adin

g of

the

play

.

OR

A

For

each

sect

ion,

the

resp

onse

�pr

ovid

es a

mea

ning

�

give

s a d

escr

iptio

n of

how

to u

se

TW

O o

f the

tool

s to

achi

eve t

hat

mea

ning

.

The

use

of e

ach

of th

e to

ols i

s ex

plic

itly

linke

d to

the

inte

nded

m

eani

ng in

bot

h of

the

sect

ions

.

The

mea

ning

s are

diff

eren

t and

ar

e no

t inc

onsi

sten

t with

a

reas

onab

le r

eadi

ng o

f the

pla

y.

No

tran

scri

ptio

n er

rors

app

ear

in

the

resp

onse

.

B

For

each

sect

ion,

the

resp

onse

�pr

ovid

es a

mea

ning

�

give

s a d

escr

iptio

n of

how

to u

se

ON

E o

f the

tool

s to

achi

eve

that

m

eani

ng.

The

use

of t

he to

ol is

exp

licitl

y lin

ked

to th

e in

tend

ed m

eani

ng in

bo

th o

f the

sect

ions

.

The

mea

ning

s are

diff

eren

t and

ar

e no

t inc

onsi

sten

t with

a

reas

onab

le r

eadi

ng o

f the

pla

y.

For

each

sect

ion,

the

resp

onse

�pr

ovid

es a

mea

ning

�

give

s a d

escr

iptio

n of

how

to u

se

TW

O o

f the

tool

s to

achi

eve t

hat

mea

ning

.

The

mea

ning

s are

diff

eren

t and

ar

e no

t inc

onsi

sten

t with

a

reas

onab

le r

eadi

ng o

f the

pla

y.

OR

D

For

one

sect

ion,

the

resp

onse

�pr

ovid

es a

mea

ning

.

The

mea

ning

is n

ot in

cons

iste

nt

with

a r

easo

nabl

e re

adin

g of

the

play

.

For

each

sect

ion,

the

resp

onse

�in

dica

tes H

�s a

ttitu

de to

war

ds A

�gi

ves a

des

crip

tion

of h

ow to

use

O

NE

of t

he to

ols t

o ac

hiev

e th

at

attit

ude.

The

two

attit

udes

are

diff

eren

t and

ar

e no

t inc

onsi

sten

t with

a

reas

onab

le r

eadi

ng o

f the

pla

y.

OR

E

For

one

sect

ion,

the

resp

onse

�in

dica

tes H

�s a

ttitu

de to

war

ds A

�gi

ves a

des

crip

tion

of h

ow to

use

O

NE

of t

he to

ols t

o ac

hiev

e th

at

attit

ude.

The

att

itude

is n

ot in

cons

iste

nt

with

a r

easo

nabl

e re

adin

g of

the

play

.

Mod

el R

espo

nse:

FIR

ST M

EA

NIN

G A

ND

DE

LIV

ERY

Thi

s lin

e m

ay b

e re

ad a

s mea

ning

, �O

K, i

f you

are

not

goi

ng to

che

at, h

ow o

n ea

rth

are

you

goin

g to

pas

s tod

ay�s

test

?� I

sugg

est t

he a

ctor

del

iver

thes

e lin

es w

ith a

long

glo

atin

g �S

o�

follo

wed

by

the

rest

of t

he se

nten

ce in

a m

ocki

ng/ta

untin

g to

ne, w

ith sp

ecia

l str

ess o

n th

e w

ords

�you

� and

�tod

ay�s

�. Th

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64

Writing Task (WT)This section describes the 2016 Writing Task testpaper and comments on the writing that students produced in response. The comments are based on an analysis of a statistically significant random sample of student responses to the testpaper. Copyright restrictions do not allow the testpaper to be reproduced in this document.

The Writing Task complements the other three subtests of the QCS Test by testing a student’s ability to produce a piece of continuous English prose in response to the testpaper. The testpaper provides an overall concept or theme and a number of written and visual stimulus pieces related to the overall concept. Each stimulus piece evokes a different aspect of the concept and is intended to assist the student in prompting and developing ideas for their response to the testpaper. The student response is to demonstrate a clear connection both to the overall concept, and also, to one or more of the stimulus pieces.

Responses to the testpaper are to be about 600 words in length and students may write in any form or style (except poetry). A breakdown is provided here of student responses according to the stimulus pieces used for ideas and the genres represented in the responses.

Each response is marked by three independent markers. Depending on which of the three marksheets has been randomly selected, each marker assigns either four criteria-based standards, or three criteria-based standards and a judgment about Length. Different combinations of judgments are required of the three primary markers. Markers consider the contribution to the holistic worth of the response of each of the criteria they are considering. On the marksheet, they record each of their judgments as a standard (from 1 to 6) with a qualifier (+,0,–) and, if required, they indicate a judgment about the length of the response. Referee marking occurs if required.

The most successful responses to the Writing Task are those that demonstrate higher achievement in the criteria identified in the marking guide (page 74). The criteria are: Central idea (CI); Vocabulary (V); Responsiveness (R); Grammar, punctuation, spelling (GPS); Structuring & sequencing (SS); and Length (L). The marking guide is provided here to show the criteria and standards used to grade the responses.

Finally, a selection of student responses has been included to exemplify successful writing as defined by the task criteria.

WT 2016 Overall concept: Seeing thingsThe overall concept linking the 15 separate stimulus pieces on the 2016 Writing Task testpaper is seeing things. Markers needed to be alert to the possible interpretations of this concept as they made judgments on the criterion of Responsiveness.

Students who took the overall concept literally may have written about physical aspects of seeing things, referring to the sense of sight, and so, focusing on the way we experience the world through seeing it. They might have dealt with the importance and value of the sense of sight or the hardship of losing it. If they took the term to represent ‘thinking’ or ‘realising’, they might have considered the idiosyncratic ways in which we think about ‘things’. A broader interpretation of seeing things could encompass having a vision that can influence one’s actions and behaviour, being deluded by what one sees and experiences, or even perhaps, experiencing hallucinations.

Whatever the interpretation of seeing things, this concept provided scope for a range of responses in a variety of text types: expository, imaginative, persuasive and reflective. Students wrote reports, discussions, and arguments about significant things in life, especially those that we see. They also responded in true or fictional accounts of things seen, short stories, or reflections on experiences or events, either fictional or actual. It provided a starting point for responses that focused on physical elements or that tapped into more intangible aspects of the human condition.


Diagram of the testpaperThe testpaper includes 15 separate pieces of stimulus material relating to the concept.

Stimulus pieces

The following diagram shows the percentage of students who indicated (by ticks on the diagram on the front cover of their response book) that they selected ideas from a particular stimulus piece (or pieces) as a resource for their writing. In reality, most students used a combination of two or more stimulus pieces in developing the response, thus opening up a greater variety of possibilities for their writing. For this reason, the percentages shown in this diagram add up to more than 100%.

Indication of stimulus pieces as starting point or resource

41 2

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Commentary on stimulus piecesStudents were required to compose a response that demonstrated a clear connection to the overall concept and to one or more of the stimulus pieces discussed here.

The following commentary is based largely on the assumption that students used only one of the stimulus pieces as a starting point or source of ideas for their responses to the overall concept of the testpaper. The reality is that many, if not most, drew their ideas from two or more stimulus pieces.

1 A still face

The main interest in this stimulus piece is in something that is seen but not identified, that is in ‘what he saw’. The words are taken from the novel, The Historian. Students who used this stimulus piece as a starting point tried to imagine what that might be and, since the face of the person observed by the narrator is ‘grave’, usually assumed that the unseen thing was probably serious, troublesome, or dark, say, a forged painting, a last will and testament, a bag full of stolen money, someone delivering bad news, a ghost, or even a zombie.

Some students obviously drew upon movies or television programs for some of their ideas. Imaginative responses were frequently the result in responses such as short stories dealing with scientific discoveries, criminal activities, or the supernatural. These responses often involved a first person narrator engaged in solving the mystery of what the anonymous ‘he’ was seeing and why his face was grave.

2 Eyes

This is another stimulus piece for which the focus can be something seen but not identified. In this case, the eyes in the image appear to belong to a girl or woman (perhaps the nosy woman next door) who has torn a hole in a screen or blind of some kind. The viewer seems to be spying and could be fearful of someone or something, or could simply be curious about something observed.

The image was a starting point for descriptions of the viewer or of the mysterious thing that was seen, or for discussions about some aspect of eyesight. Some students made connections between this and stimulus piece 1, resulting in comments about issues of privacy, including the increasingly common use of technology and the media. It prompted some responses that were linked to the recent census. The image was a reminder that there is now very little in our lives that can be kept really secret.

3 Blind to the future

This is an adapted quote from the speech delivered by the president of West Germany, Richard von Weizsäcker on the fortieth anniversary of the end of war in Europe, 8 May 1985. This marked the start of German post-war self-examination. Students drawn to this stimulus piece most probably would not have known who said the words or when they were spoken; however, their responses indicated that they clearly understood the advice that we should consider our decisions and actions carefully in the light of what we have learned from the past.

The piece prompted expository or persuasive responses about the danger, either for an individual or for society as a whole, of ignoring our knowledge of past and present events. Some students made links between this and stimulus piece 13 and focused on scientific and medical discoveries and developments. Responses included media articles, editorials, speeches, and transcripts of interviews. The subject matter ranged from one’s personal behaviour to events such as the recent federal election, terrorist attacks and the global migration of refugees.

4 Virtual reality

There has been an explosion in the technology of virtual reality environments. Examples are all around, in GPS navigators, in animated films and video games, and in the recent and surprisingly short-lived craze of Pokémon Go. The use of virtual reality has become invaluable to education and training in fields as diverse as aviation, warfare, surgery, architectural design and urban planning.


Some students responded to this stimulus piece in expositions, explaining what virtual reality is and describing some of its applications, in some cases revealing a knowledge of robotics. There were media articles examining the truth of the initial statement in the stimulus piece, with many writers arguing strongly for or against the value of virtual reality, pointing out the potential or the hazards involved in this technology. Some students wrote imaginative responses in futuristic stories or fantasies.

5 The kid

The written text of this stimulus piece consists of three lines from a song written by Robert Mondlock for the singers, Peter, Paul and Mary. Together with the image of the young boy sitting on the rim of the reading glasses, the words evoke a vision of childhood dreaming. The fictional ‘kid’ confesses to gazing out of the classroom window and imagining other worlds, ‘far beyond just the schoolyard’.

The words and the image together provided ideas for accounts of real or imaginary escapes from the classroom. Some students reflected on daydreams about experiences that they hope to have in the future. Some responded in graduation speeches. This piece provided a starting point for articles about travel destinations and for extracts from travel guides or journals. The ‘things’ prompted descriptions of places waiting to be explored, adventures to plan or paths to tread in the future. It provided ideas for imaginative pieces, such as stories told from the perspective of ‘the kid’, either as a child, or as an adult reminiscing on the past, and fictional accounts from a teacher.

6 Unseeing

This stimulus piece, with its image of some of the destruction caused by the 2011 tsunami in Japan, is a darker piece reminding us of the power of the visual. We are bombarded every day by still and moving images, some of which, once seen, are simply unforgettable.

Students who responded to this stimulus piece accepted the connection of the written text with the image. Mostly, they wrote about disasters that they had heard about or viewed. Their responses included descriptions and accounts of an event and its after-effects. Some wrote imaginative responses in a narrative form, about things they were not supposed to see, but now cannot forget. In some cases, the responses focused on something personal and positive, which had imprinted itself on the writer’s mind.

7a-b Reading glasses

Using the written text as the starting point, some students responded to either or both of these pieces with expositions about the invention of reading glasses or the concept of magnification or with personal accounts of their own experience of being diagnosed as needing glasses followed by a description of their joy in being able to see clearly as a result. Others discussed the effects of glasses becoming available to all. This was a piece used more often in conjunction with other stimulus pieces than alone.

8 Disguise

The written text in this stimulus piece is taken from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. The speaker, Viola, is masquerading as a male, Cesario, who has realised that the beautiful noblewoman, Olivia, has fallen in love with the young man she is pretending to be. Of course, this kind of deception has the potential to cause trouble and some students responded with perceptive discussions of the danger in making judgments based on appearances only.

The piece invited expository or persuasive responses that examined the morality of acting in a way that is not true to one’s real character or personality. Some described the person who plays a part to cover their real feelings or personality and some of the resulting responses focused on the ‘sadness’ that can result from such pretence. The playful image that accompanied the words also prompted responses that were imaginative or lighthearted accounts of times and events when people have taken on a disguise.


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9 The Arts

This comment, from The Decay of Lying by Oscar Wilde, gives opportunities for students to explain their perceptions of particular works of art that especially impress them or influence them to hold particular views. Some students wrote about the influence of the arts in their lives or on society. The comment allows for consideration of artistic fields as diverse as dance, music, theatre, media arts, literature, design, as well as the visual arts. Expositions, descriptions and personal reflections were most common amongst the responses and some students gave accounts of how their perceptions of the world had changed over time with exposure to particular art forms.

10 Other senses

This stimulus piece focuses on the physical senses, vision being the one most clearly related to the overall concept of the testpaper. Although the written text stands alone, it is backed by a wallpaper of braille (a copy of a page from the braille version of the Reading Magazine of the 2016 NAPLAN Test). The piece suggests that other physical senses may be developed and strengthened to compensate for a weakness in a particular sense.

Some students reflected on the significance of vision in their own lives or speculated on how they would live their lives if one of their senses were to fail. Responses included real-life accounts and expositions about aspects of vision or the effect of blindness. There were accounts of the work of charitable medical missions that treat blindness and poor eyesight for people in remote places. Linked with stimulus piece 14, this piece prompted some accounts of the support that guide dogs provide for their owners. Some students wrote imaginative responses in short stories in which vision or lack of vision played a part.

11 Insights

The written text of this stimulus piece is accompanied by an image of the spines of several books and a DVD case. Reading and viewing widely is valued in our schools and communities and students were able to use one or more of the titles shown, or other titles entirely, as starting points for responses. Some reflected on the role of specific books and films in developing their own particular views of the world. Expositions and reflections predominated amongst the responses, although there were also imaginative narratives in which a fictional character was influenced by something read or viewed.

12 Seeing things differently

Understanding ideas and issues is fundamental to anyone living in a democratic society. This stimulus piece promotes the importance of developing and expressing one’s personal views. Some students explained how they had formed certain opinions and how they had faced reactions from others. In recent months, issues of politics, race and religion had given them much to think about: a looming election in America, the Brexit decision in the UK, attacks by terrorists in many countries, and disquiet about the global refugee immigration. Students argued their cases with passion and emotion in editorials, media articles and transcripts of speeches and debates.

13 Observing systematically

This stimulus piece deals with the role played by observation in many areas of human activity. There is an emphasis on the idea of the observation being ‘systematic’ rather than random or subjective. The ellipsis in the written text was intended to leave the way open for students to nominate their own area of interest. This made it possible for them to discuss, as they did in expositions or persuasive pieces, what has been and can be learned and achieved through careful examination and analysis of scientific phenomena, world events, political actions, and human relationships. Responses included stories about personal successes and failures, science reports, explanations of how historical events unfolded, accounts of medical breakthroughs, and discussions of past, and even future space exploration.


14 Keep your eye on the ball

The written text in this stimulus piece provides a command that refers to a different kind of observation from that of stimulus piece 13, one in which the focus is moving, or changing. It is an instruction that has wide application, especially in competitive situations. It allowed for students to write a report or an imaginative piece about a sporting experience. Some told the story of a real or fictional sporting star who succeeded against all odds, or of one who tried and failed. Some used the recent Olympic Games for material about competitors, their coaches, and issues that arose.

Some students used the written text and the image of the dog and the soccer ball together, to generate stories about the path to success, the way to failure, or even accounts of walking the dog when the dog did or didn’t keep watching the ball. Applied more widely, persuasive or expository pieces resulted, with a focus on other areas of human endeavour, such as business, science, education, government, politics, health or human relationships. Some students related the words to their studies and to their ambitions in life.

15 Pics

This stimulus piece refers to the current preoccupation with recording images of one’s own activities. At no other time in history have people been so obsessed with recording themselves and their experience of the world. The selfie reigns supreme. In this stimulus piece, the Tower of Pisa ‘leans’ on the man in the photo. The message on the phone indicates an ever-present demand for proof. The stimulus piece presents an image deliberately constructed for effect. It is a reminder that we shouldn’t believe everything we see. We know that those who create images of this kind present what they want us to see, in the make-believe of adventure and comedy movies and in the manipulative messages of advertising. Even knowing this, we are aware that we are being influenced. The power is not only in the hands of the professionals. As the image shown here indicates, anyone can do it.

This stimulus piece prompted mostly imaginative responses, such as holiday anecdotes, stories of blackmail or the stories behind the picture. However, it also helped to generate some ‘too good to be true’ real-life accounts, expositions about the technologies that we use and persuasive pieces about the hazards of foreign travel. Some students made links between this piece and stimulus piece 6 as they developed their ideas.

Stimulus pieces: Visual, written or combination?Students have the option of responding to the visual images, the written texts, or a combination of both. This year, 42% of students responded to both visual and written stimulus pieces. An additional 47% responded to only written stimulus pieces and a mere 8% responded to only a piece of visual stimulus. Stimulus pieces for the WT are selected to maximise appeal for a wide cross-section of the Year 12 population. The material chosen is designed to engage students and prompt ideas for their writing. When considering a stimulus piece (or pieces) and what to write, students should remember that, by the time they reach Year 12, they have a wealth of personal and subject-based knowledge and experience that they can draw upon.

When students use ideas from the written stimulus pieces, there is a danger that they may quote large portions of text directly. This can affect markers’ judgments of Length (words from the stimulus pieces are not counted) and the Central idea (if the ideas being presented are not the student’s own). Direct quoting can also detract from a response when the language style of the quoted material differs from the student’s style, or when quotations are used out of context or incorrectly (affecting Structuring & sequencing, Vocabulary, and Grammar, punctuation, spelling).

Choice of text typeStudent responses to a WT testpaper may be categorised, according to their purpose, into four major text types: imaginative, expository, reflective and persuasive.

In 2016, the most popular text type for students was the expository response, with 35% of students writing in this form. This was closely followed by imaginative pieces, written by 31% of students.


70

Persuasive responses accounted for 20% of scripts and 14% of responses were reflective.

When determining which text type to use, students need to consider the ultimate purpose of their writing. Do they wish to entertain their audience (imaginative)? Do they want to convey information (expository)? Would they like to recall, contemplate or share experiences (reflective)? Is it their intent to convince their audience of a particular viewpoint (persuasive)? Understanding this can help students to plan effectively and give focus to their writing.

Choice of genreWithin the broader categories of genre, students may write in whatever genre they wish, with the exception of poetry. This enables them to draw on their knowledge and strengths, and to match their ideas from the stimulus with a suitable style of response. They need to decide which genre will allow them to demonstrate their best writing. They should keep in mind, as they plan their response, that some genres, e.g. the speech and the essay, can have a variety of purposes such as exposition or persuasion. Also, when they choose a genre, they need to be sure they can control its conventions. A short story, for example, should cover a short span of time; a media article should have short paragraphs.

As shown in the diagram here, in 2016, the most popular genre was the essay, the next most popular the short story. Personal recounts, reflections and speeches were the next most popular. It is worth noting that, while genre conventions are not assessed specifically (although they may affect Structuring & sequencing), students should aim to make use of, and indeed exploit, these conventions for effect. Students should be encouraged to discover in which genres they write most confidently and competently. This should allow them to produce their best writing.

Essay

The definition of the essay is vague, as it has become a genre required in many school subjects. Perhaps the simplest definition is that it is a piece of writing that usually expresses the author’s personal point of view.

The essay was a popular choice. This is perhaps because essay writing lends itself to a range of different topics, is a writing style that students use across the majority of subject areas, and has elements that are similar to several other genres. The most successful of these responses were very clearly focused on purpose and audience and developed a clear thesis. Essays that were well written followed a clear structure, consisting of: an introduction (including a thesis statement); a body of writing (containing development and explanation of main points); and a concluding paragraph (presenting a summary).

Short story

The short story was one of the most popular genres and, not surprisingly, stories covered a wide variety of topics. The most successful were those that drew on students’ own knowledge and experiences and made effective language choices such as varied sentence length and use of description (including metaphor and personification). Also, successful stories tended to be written with a goal in mind from the outset — that is, there was an effective establishment and development of ideas, a clear resolution and a compelling conclusion. Students should be wary of some strategies that are likely to have a negative impact on achievement. An example is the story that ends with the narrator waking to find it was all a dream or one that is written in the first person with the narrator dying at the end. This is significant to the criteria of Central idea

critique %0.5

1%journal

letter 1%

drama script 1%

%report 1

media article 5%

short story 26%

speech 14%

essay 37%

personalrecount/reflection

13%

Popularity of genre: total sample


and Structuring & sequencing. Many such stories indicated a lack of planning and, consequently, a lack of direction. Other common problems were inconsistencies and inaccuracies in using tense and narrative perspective.

Speech

Speeches ranged from the informative to the persuasive. Having a clear understanding of the purpose and audience of the speech is crucial for success. This can be achieved by creating a context that establishes the speaker’s credentials and the audience’s potential interest. This means students need to ensure that their topic is suitable for this genre; that is, it should be a topic that is not contrived and that would interest the intended audience.

Personal recount/reflection

Students can elect to write about themselves. They may produce a piece that recounts or reviews a personal experience or a piece that reflects on their lives or their ideas. This genre is reminiscent of some blog entries. The popularity of this genre is not surprising.

Media article

This genre includes texts such as feature articles, editorials and journal articles. Predominantly expositional in nature, media articles require students to have a reasonable knowledge of their topic. Therefore, students should carefully consider their own background knowledge and expertise when selecting this approach to respond to their chosen stimulus piece/s. They should also consider the conventions of the genre. For example, feature articles usually have shorter paragraphs than essays.

Drama script

Drama scripts made up only a small percentage of the responses this year. Students who write in this form need knowledge of the specific conventions of the genre, and need to be able to use them to effect.

Journal

Journal writing included texts such as a diary entry and these were usually reflective in style. This genre is often difficult for students, because writing ‘as themselves’ may limit opportunities for selecting and demonstrating a wide or discriminating vocabulary. Also, they tend to lose focus in this kind of writing, which can affect the criteria of Central idea and Structuring & sequencing. If students do choose to write a diary, the entries should not be short as the result can be a rather disjointed response. Paragraphs are still essential.

Letter

Letters can often provide challenges in Vocabulary and in Structuring & sequencing. To be successful, students should ensure that the purpose, and consequently, the content of the letter will be substantive enough to justify the choice of genre and to meet length requirements.

Report

A small percentage of students chose to write a report. Many of these were scientific, perhaps suggesting that students were aware of the genre best suited to their knowledge and experience. The genre conventions of a report should be used. Reports should make use of features such as subheadings as well as sections including, for example, objectives, conclusions and recommendations, to add to the authenticity of the writing and, consequently, to the authority of the writer. It would not be a good idea to write up a scientific experiment with just a list of materials and procedures. Rather, the writing should focus on a discussion of the findings.

Critique

Many of the students who wrote in this genre chose to write reviews about books or films that have had an impact on their lives.


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Achievement in specific criteria

In discussing specific criteria, reference is made to selected student responses that begin on page 77.

Central idea

When assessing this criterion, a marker is essentially asking what the response is about. That is, what is the student writing about and how well has the student deliberately and clearly developed this idea to reach an intended conclusion? The most successful responses will demonstrate direction — whether explicit or implicit — and resolution. Responses suffer in the criterion of central idea when there is uneven development of the idea or when there are several, perhaps vague, ideas present. A lack of resolution often results from lack of direction and, consequently, this has a negative impact on the judgment of this criterion.

Vocabulary

Many believe that ‘the bigger the word, the better’. However, this is not necessarily the case. It is never a good idea to sacrifice meaning for style. Success in Vocabulary is determined by word choices: words that have been selected deliberately for effect and exactly fit their location within the text. While students should aim to demonstrate a knowledge and range of vocabulary, their control of language is also crucial. Incorrect and/or inappropriate word choice, lack of variety, and language that gets in the way of meaning will all influence a student’s success in this criterion. Trying too hard to use complex vocabulary can also detract from a response. The biggest word is not always the best word, and sometimes, something as simple as using the wrong preposition can destroy meaning.

Making use of language devices such as metaphor and personification, as well as using ‘technical’ language suited to the context, proved to be very effective for many students. Less effective was the often jarring use of exaggeration and hyperbole, tautology and sweeping generalisations. Maintaining an awareness of the purpose and audience of the writing is essential for success in this criterion.

Responsiveness

The piece of writing that a student produces must clearly be a response to the testpaper on the day, showing a connection to both the overall concept and the stimulus piece/s. Therefore, of all the criteria, Responsiveness is weighted most heavily. Achievement will suffer where the connection is weak, or where the student responds to either the concept or stimulus, but not to both. The higher achieving scripts in this criterion will exhibit a strong and sustained connection to both. It is important to be aware that simply repeating the concept, ‘seeing things’, several times is not demonstrating the criterion of Responsiveness. Evidence also suggests that responding to too many stimulus pieces reduces a student’s likelihood of achieving well in this criterion. This is because a piece of this kind tends to make only passing or glancing reference to the concept or the stimulus pieces.

Students may benefit from a different approach in their planning. Rather than looking at the testpaper and asking, ‘What can I write about?’, it may be better to ask, ‘What do I know a lot about that I can relate to something on this testpaper?’

Grammar, punctuation, spelling

Within this criterion, grammar is deemed more important than punctuation which, in turn, is more important than spelling. This is because each one of these can affect meaning more than the next. To achieve a high standard, students must consistently demonstrate precise and effective use of grammar, punctuation and spelling with few errors. This includes exploiting the conventions of writing for specific purposes and effects. Student achievement in this criterion will be affected by the degree to which errors detract from meaning. Proofreading is vital.


Regardless of achievement level, this is the criterion in which students performed most poorly. Some of the most frequent problems evident in responses were:• inconsistencies with tense• errors in antecedent agreement (particularly with singular, plural and indefinite pronouns)• omission or incorrect use of punctuation, e.g. failing to end questions with question marks• absence of apostrophes to identify possession or adding apostrophes to plurals.

Structuring & sequencing

This criterion requires markers to consider the architecture of the piece, that is, the way in which the ideas in the response are arranged. To be successful, the writing must demonstrate controlled structuring and deliberate sequencing of ideas. The writing needs to be fluent, logical and flexible. Achievement is hampered where there are weaknesses evident, such as gaps in logic, poor paragraphing or randomness in the arrangement of ideas.

Some of the problems with Structuring & sequencing arise when students do not clearly establish the context of their writing and, consequently, the development of ideas is less sequential. Also, poor editing can have a negative impact, particularly when students include information that is superfluous to the purpose, thereby weakening the response. In short stories, this often results from including too much unnecessary description. Of course, one thing that students can do to contribute to a well-structured response is to plan a clear strategy that is best suited to their individual writing abilities.

Students should consider their choice of genre when thinking about the structure and sequence of their writing. Although poetry is the only genre that is specifically forbidden, they should think about whether their genre choice will allow them to develop an idea in a clear sequence. For example, writing a 600-word grocery list would be a very bad idea. Students need to consider and discuss what genres or forms will allow them to develop and demonstrate their best writing in about 600 words of continuous prose.

Length

This subtest requires students to produce a piece of continuous prose, approximately 600 words in length. Penalties are applied for too short, far too short, too long, and far too long responses. While each criterion is considered and assessed independently, Length has the potential to have the greatest impact on achievement in other criteria. In terms of overall performance, scripts that are far too short are the most likely to be among the lower achieving responses.


74

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Selected student responsesThe responses that follow were selected from those that met the standards for successful writing as defined by the criteria and standards for judging student responses. These responses appear in their original handwritten form. They may contain errors in expression but, for the sake of authenticity, they have been published as they were written. They may also include some factual inaccuracies but it is important to note that accuracy of information is not one of the criteria by which the responses are judged.

With respect to handwriting, students should be aware that legibility is important. Markers will make a committed attempt to read poor handwriting but they cannot ignore errors due to missing or indecipherable letters. In schools, teachers may become familiar with a student’s handwriting and may guess at their meaning or their spelling. Markers of these responses cannot do this. They must assess what they see. While there is no specific criterion that applies, it is inevitable that illegible handwriting will affect the judgments that can be made in all the criteria.

The selection of the examples here does not indicate a preference for any particular form of writing; nor are the sentiments expressed in these responses necessarily endorsed by the QCAA.

Before publication, the QCAA attempted to establish, but cannot guarantee, the originality of the writing in the responses.

Response 1

If You Could See Me, Just Maybe is an account of a visit by Hugo to an uncle who suffers from dementia. The purpose and the central idea are clear from the start. The narrative begins with some establishment of the context, including an evocative description of the bleak and dispiriting weather that sets the scene for the equally depressing visit. The development of the central idea continues with Hugo’s growing frustration over the observation that his uncle’s eyes can see but that ‘Henrik himself saw nothing’. After trying to make a connection, Hugo acts violently. Immediately regretting his loss of control, he apologises.

It is only then, as Hugo turns to leave, that his uncle shows any recognition or reaction. That is when ‘he saw, and he smiled’. The central idea has been developed deliberately and effectively to a strong climax and then to a sensitive resolution.

Response 2

This untitled response, set in the future, looks back to a fictional past, when people have been introduced to an optical implant, ‘Optique’, that augments reality so that the human mind can ‘visually shape’ what it sees. This is a first person description of the implant and its powers and an account of its dangers. The writer, the fictional Alexander Gallows, is writing a letter to request the removal of his implant because he wants to ‘embrace reality’. He argues that Optique encourages people to see what they want, rather than allowing them to be challenged by seeing and drawing meaning from what really exists. For the actual reader, it provides a subtle and persuasive warning about how blind we may be to the unintended consequences in the future of many of the decisions and actions that we take.

The response demonstrates the use of words selected for their effect. The name of the device, ‘Optique’ is imaginative. The vocabulary varies, at times being quite conversational and so, appropriate to the discursive nature of this kind of letter. Some of the language is colloquial: ‘It still blows me away to this day’, ‘it was the coolest idea ever’, ‘Your product is amazing’. Occasionally the writer addresses the reader directly: ‘You know how parents can be; not wanting their child to miss out’. There is also an effective use of more formal vocabulary: ‘an optical implant that augments reality’, ‘the procedure’, ‘the protagonist’, ‘a meaning … that they can identify with viscerally’, ‘a stagnant imagination’. The response reflects an ability to use the right words in the right places.


76

Response 3

Reality in Fantasy suggests that we should not dismiss books such as the Harry Potter series and Alice in Wonderland as simply stories of magic and fantasy. They are also examples of books that provide lessons that we need to learn, about ourselves and about the real world. The discussion connects characters with real world figures and fictional actions with world events.

The discussion is concise and is clearly responsive. With its warning that we should not close our eyes to what we can learn from ‘other worlds’, it makes a strong connection to both the overall concept and the stimulus material.

Response 4

Seeing is believing is a thoughtful discussion about the importance of systematic observation in developing our scientific knowledge and understanding of the world. This is an exposition that points out the need for us to learn from past observation, measurement and experimentation. Copernicus, Faraday and Rutherford are cited as examples of those who ‘had to see it to believe it’, who broke new ground and so laid foundations for future work. It ends with the suggestion that the reader may be amongst those who go will further.

The exposition is easy to read, clear and fluent with an engaging mix of formality and informality. There is an admirable variety in sentence structures and in the use of a range of punctuation.

Response 5

The library of looking-glasses is a fictional description of people reading books and a reflection on what books can do for us. There is a poetic quality to this response. A boy is in a library reading a biography of ‘the world’s smartest man’. The book inspires him to dream of a better future for himself. A woman sits in her kitchen reading a romance which provides an escape from her ‘loveless life’. A grandfather reads a story to a little girl, regretful that he can never be the hero to her that the main character is. A librarian observes each of these people when they come to the library, ‘seeing a reflection of herself in each of them’. She sees the library as a ‘looking-glass to her whole life’ and acknowledges the importance of books.

The response has a clear structure and simple, logical sequencing. Each paragraph, except the final one, begins with ‘In the corner of the world …’. Each of the readers described is presented separately, in a vignette that brings the person to life by describing the obstacles or disappointments in their lives. They come to life in these short accounts. The paragraph about the librarian brings them together effectively. The final paragraph presents a comment on the possibilities provided by books. The final sentence restates the repeated introductions to the paragraphs with, ‘In the corner of the world, someone just opened a book’.


Response 1


78

80

Response 2


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Response 3


86

Response 4


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Response 5


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92

Relative worth of each subtest

Relative worth of parts of the QCS Test

Worth SR paper

Paper Worth Comment

1 WT 68 Two grades on each of the five substantive criteria, plus two judgments on Length

2 MC I 50 50 items of equal worth

3 SR 67 16 items with up to five grades each

4 MC II 50 50 items of equal worth

Total 235

UnitItem

number

Grade awarded and CodeWorth

A B C D E N O

One 1 3 2 1 1.5

Two2 3 2 1 1.5

3 7 5 3 1 3.5

Three4 6 5 3 1 3

5 9 7 5 2 4.5

Four6 4 2 1 2

7 8 6 3 1 4

Five 8 8 7 4 1 4

Six9 10 8 5 3 1 5

10 10 8 5 3 1 5

Seven11 10 8 5 2 5

12 11 9 6 3 1 5.5

Eight13 10 8 5 2 5

14 12 10 7 3 2 6

Nine15 11 9 6 4 2 5.5

16 12 10 6 4 2 6

A2

A2----

67=


Deemed CCEs and QCS Test itemsTables showing CCEs tested within the MC and SR subtests are presented earlier in this document. One or more CCEs appear next to each item (or unit). What does this mean?

The QCS Test assesses students in terms of the common elements of the Queensland senior curriculum: analysing and synthesising, evaluating, comparing, interrelating ideas, graphing, estimating, compiling statistics, and so on. There is not, however, a simplistic match of CCEs and individual items in the QCS Test — there is not exactly one item for each CCE or exactly one CCE for each item. Some CCEs are obviously widely present — interpreting words and symbols, analysing and interpreting the meaning of diagrams, justifying. Other CCEs, such as graphing, may be absent from all but one or two specific items.

The CCE given for an item is not, therefore, a claim that this is the only skill required to complete this item successfully. Nor is it a claim that the CCE should be understood as meaning only the skills apparently required by the item. There may even seem to be ways of completing the item successfully that do not appear to involve the given CCE/s.

Listing CCEs against items provides information about how the test constructors view each item in the context of the particular QCS Test.

Balance of the QCS Test in terms of CCEsListing CCEs against items may suggest that the balance of a particular QCS Test or a series of QCS Tests can be assessed by tallying the number of times each CCE is listed.

It is wrong to expect such a tally to show an equal number of items for each of the 49 CCEs because they are not, and were not developed to be, either equal or equivalent, or in any other sense, interchangeable.

A reasonable assessment of the balance of the QCS Test will take into account that:• the 49 CCEs are not equal• no CCE is trivial• some CCEs are more substantial than others• no single CCE fails to occur in the Queensland senior curriculum• some CCEs are diffused generally across a wide range of items (and are therefore not listed frequently)• some CCEs can only be tested through particular kinds of items that require a substantial proportion of

the total test item (and therefore these CCEs will not occur very often).


94

Appendixes

Appendix 1: The 49 Common Curriculum Elements

Descriptors and Notes

Note: The numbering system given for the testable Common Curriculum Elements is that used within the QCS Test Unit. Readers should not be perturbed to find that, while the list is in numerical order, there are numbers missing. All 49 elements appear in the list.

1 Recognising letters, words and other symbols

2 Finding material in an indexed collection:

Note: Examples of an indexed collection are — a dictionary, an encyclopaedia, a library catalogue, a road map, an art catalogue, an instruction booklet, a share register, a classified advertisement column.

3 Recalling/remembering:

Note: Consult Test Specifications Section 2.3 to establish what might reasonably be regarded as assumed knowledge, i.e. ‘an elementary level of general knowledge, and a knowledge of vocabulary and mathematical operations at a level of sophistication consistent with a sound general Year 10 education … basic arithmetic operations involved in calculation, also include fundamental mathematical concepts such as simple algebra, percentage, ratio, area, angle and power of ten notation.’

4 Interpreting the meaning of words or other symbols

5 Interpreting the meaning of pictures/illustrations

6 Interpreting the meaning of tables or diagrams or maps or graphs

7 Translating from one form to another:

Expressing information in a different form

Note: Translation could involve the following forms:verbal information (in English)algebraic symbolsgraphsmathematical material given in wordssymbolic codes (e.g. Morse code, other number systems)picturesdiagramsmaps.

9 Using correct spelling, punctuation, grammar

10 Using vocabulary appropriate to a context

11 Summarising/condensing written text:

Presenting essential ideas and information in fewer words and in a logical sequence

Note: Simply listing the main points in note form is not acceptable, nor is ‘lifting’ verbatim from the given passage.

12 Compiling lists/statistics:

Systematically collecting and counting numerical facts or data

13 Recording/noting data:

Identifying relevant information and then accurately and methodically writing it down in one or more predetermined categories

Note: Examples of predetermined categories are — female/male; odd/even; mass/acceleration.


14 Compiling results in a tabular form:

Devising appropriate headings and presenting information using rows and/or columns

15 Graphing:

Note: Students will be required to construct graphs as well as to interpret them (see CCE 6).

16 Calculating with or without calculators

17 Estimating numerical magnitude:

Employing a rational process (such as applying an algorithm, or comparing by experience with known quantities or numbers) to arrive at a quantity or number that is sufficiently accurate to be useful for a given purpose

18 Approximating a numerical value:

Employing a rational process (such as measuring or rounding) to arrive at a quantity or number that is accurate to a specified degree

19 Substituting in formulae

20 Setting out/presenting/arranging/displaying

21 Structuring/organising extended written text

22 Structuring/organising a mathematical argument:

Generating and sequencing the steps that can lead to a required solution to a given mathematical task

26 Explaining to others:

Presenting a meaning with clarity, precision, completeness, and with due regard to the order of statements in the explanation

27 Expounding a viewpoint:

Presenting a clear convincing argument for a definite and detailed opinion

28 Empathising:

Appreciating the views, emotions and reactions of others by identifying with the personalities or characteristics of other people in given situations

29 Comparing, contrasting:

Comparing: displaying recognition of similarities and differences and recognising the significance of these similarities and differences

Contrasting: displaying recognition of differences by deliberate juxtaposition of contrary elements

30 Classifying:

Systematically distributing information/data into categories that may be either presented to, or created by, the student

31 Interrelating ideas/themes/issues

32 Reaching a conclusion which is necessarily true provided a given set of assumptions is true:

Deducing

33 Reaching a conclusion which is consistent with a given set of assumptions:

Inferring

34 Inserting an intermediate between members of a series:

Interpolating

35 Extrapolating:

Logically extending trends or tendencies beyond the information/data given


96

36 Applying strategies to trial and test ideas and procedures

37 Applying a progression of steps to achieve the required answer:

Making use of an algorithm (that is already known by students or that is given to students) to proceed to the answer

38 Generalising from information:

Establishing by inference or induction the essential characteristics of known information or a result

41 Hypothesising:

Formulating a plausible supposition to account for known facts or observed occurrences

The supposition is often the subject of a validation process.

42 Criticising:

Appraising logical consistency and/or rationally scrutinising for authenticity/merit

Note: also critiquing — critically reviewing

43 Analysing:

Dissecting to ascertain and examine constituent parts and/or their relationships

44 Synthesising:

Assembling constituent parts into a coherent, unique and/or complex entity

The term ‘entity’ includes a system, theory, communication, plan, set of operations.

45 Judging/evaluating:

Judging: applying both procedural and deliberative operations to make a determination

Procedural operations are those that determine the relevance and admissibility of evidence, whilst deliberative operations involve making a decision based on the evidence.

Evaluating: assigning merit according to criteria

46 Creating/composing/devising

48 Justifying:

Providing sound reasons or evidence to support a statement

Soundness requires that the reasoning is logical and, where appropriate, that the premises are likely to be true.

49 Perceiving patterns:

Recognising and identifying designs, trends and meaningful relationships within text

50 Visualising:

Note: Examples of aspects of this element that might be tested include:visualising spatial concepts (e.g. rotation in space) visualising abstractions in concrete form (e.g. kinetic theory — the movement of molecules) visualising a notion of a physical appearance from a detailed verbal description.

51 Identifying shapes in two and three dimensions

52 Searching and locating items/information:

Note: This element as it occurs in syllabuses usually refers to field work. As these conditions are plainly impossible to reproduce under QCS Test conditions, testing can only be performed at a ‘second order’ level.

In the sense of looking for things in different places, ‘searching and locating items/information’ may be taken to include quoting, i.e. repeating words given in an extract in the stimulus material.


53 Observing systematically:

Note: This element as it occurs in syllabuses usually refers to laboratory situations. As these conditions are plainly impossible to reproduce under QCS Test conditions, testing can only be performed at a ‘second order’ level.

55 Gesturing:

Identifying, describing, interpreting or responding to visual representations of a bodily or facial movement or expression, that indicates an idea, mood or emotion

Note: This element as it occurs in syllabuses refers to acting and other forms of movement. It is possible to test only the interpretation of movement and expression. It is understood that there are cultural variations relating to the meanings of particular gestures.

57 Manipulating/operating/using equipment:

Displaying competence in choosing and using an implement (in actual or representational form) to perform a given task effectively

60 Sketching/drawing:

Sketching: executing a drawing or painting in simple form, giving essential features but not necessarily with detail or accuracy

Drawing: depicting an object, idea or system pictorially, such as in a clearly defined diagram or flowchart.

Note: Sketching/drawing does not include the representation of numerical data as required in CCE 14 and CCE 15.


| Retrospective 2016 QCS Test98

Appendix 2: CCEs


2 Finding material in an indexed collection

3 Recalling/remembering




7 Translating from one form to another



11 Summarising/condensing written text

12 Compiling lists/statistics

13 Recording/noting data

14 Compiling results in a tabular form

15 Graphing


17 Estimating numerical magnitude

18 Approximating a numerical value




22 Structuring/organising a mathematical argument

26 Explaining to others

27 Expounding a viewpoint

28 Empathising

29 Comparing, contrasting

30 Classifying


32 Reaching a conclusion which is necessarily true provided a given set of assumptions is true

33 Reaching a conclusion which is consistent with a given set of assumptions

34 Inserting an intermediate between members of a series

35 Extrapolating


37 Applying a progression of steps to achieve the required answer

38 Generalising from information

41 Hypothesising

42 Criticising

43 Analysing

44 Synthesising

45 Judging/evaluating


48 Justifying

49 Perceiving patterns

50 Visualising


52 Searching and locating items/information


55 Gesturing

57 Manipulating/operating/using equipment

60 Sketching/drawing


Appendix 3: CCEs grouped by baskets Comprehend and collect


2 Finding material in an indexed collection

3 Recalling/remembering




7 Translating from one form to another

12 Compiling lists/statistics

13 Recording/noting data

28 Empathising


52 Searching and locating items/information


55 Gesturing

57 Manipulating/operating/using equipment

Structure and sequence


22 Structuring/organising a mathematical argument

29 Comparing, contrasting

30 Classifying



38 Generalising from information

49 Perceiving patterns

50 Visualising

Analyse, assess and conclude

32 Reaching a conclusion which is necessarily true provided a given set of assumptions is true

33 Reaching a conclusion which is consistent with a given set of assumptions

34 Inserting an intermediate between members of a series

35 Extrapolating

41 Hypothesising

42 Criticising

43 Analysing

44 Synthesising

45 Judging/evaluating

48 Justifying

Create and present



11 Summarising/condensing written text

14 Compiling results in a tabular form

15 Graphing


26 Explaining to others

27 Expounding a viewpoint


60 Sketching/drawing

Apply techniques and procedures


17 Estimating numerical magnitude

18 Approximating a numerical value


37 Applying a progression of steps to achieve the required answer

100

Appendix 4: Glossary of terms used in relation to the QCS Testacceptable minimum standards: the description of a marking process whereby markers are required to use their assessment skills to interpret a student response and match it to a standard in each performance domain being tested by the item. Predetermined trade-offs are already incorporated. Markers then award a grade for that performance domain for that item.

adjacent grades: on a short response marking scheme, a pair of available grades in direct proximity, e.g. A and B, D and E, N and O (see grade)

assumed knowledge: the benchmark of students’ required learning in terms of QCS testing; taken to be the possession of both an elementary level of general knowledge and a knowledge of vocabulary and mathematical operations at a level of sophistication consistent with that of a student with a sound general Year 10 education

batched items: a group of items which relate to the same stimulus material

built-in trade-off: a property of a marking scheme that ensures that the performance domains contribute to the grade in a manner reflective of their hierarchical position in that item

calibration: a routine process aimed at controlling reliability loss by removing irregularities in a marker’s judgment ‘gauge’ before that marker is free to ‘gauge standards’, i.e. to mark

check marking: a process involving scrutiny by marking supervisors (WT), immersers (SR) and unit managers (SR) of grades awarded by markers

closed response item: a short response item which involves the student in the production of an answer and requires the marker to assess the accuracy of the response. This type of item usually produces a definite number of response types.

common curriculum element (CCE): one of the 49 generic skills that are common to at least two subjects in the Queensland senior curriculum, testable in the current format of the QCS Test, and within the learning opportunities of a high proportion of students

creditable response: a response (to a short response item) that is awarded one of the available grades, A to E, and thus attracts credit

criterion (also called basket): macroskill. The QCS Test measures achievement in five criteria, each of which is symbolised by a letter of the Greek alphabet:

The 49 common curriculum elements can be distributed among these five criteria, each criterion representing a set of related CCEs.

cue: an instruction attached to a short response item, situated next to the space provided for the student response. The cue gives students a clear idea of what is required of them, sometimes providing essential further information on how to respond.

curriculum element: identifiable coherent activity specified by a syllabus as relevant to the pursuit of the aims and objectives of that syllabus

denotation: descriptor and/or notes related to a CCE, which represent the meaning of that CCE for the purpose of the QCS Test. Denotations are circulated to the appropriate audiences.

descriptor: see standard descriptor

comprehend and collect

structure and sequence

analyse, assess and conclude

create and present

apply techniques and procedures.


desirable feature: item-specific characteristic of a student’s short response that demonstrates achievement and therefore contributes to the determination of attainment in a particular performance domain

dimension: one of nine defined characteristics of a test item. Each item can be classified in terms of each of these nine dimensions. This classification is used for assessing range and balance in the test.

discrepant marker: a marker whose marking differences (compared with other markers) are either not acceptably small or not apparently random

dissonant markings: binders whose items have been given significantly different marks by different markers

essential equipment: ‘tools of the trade’ listed in the Student Information Bulletin and in Directions on the cover of the testpaper, and which the student must provide in order to complete the test, namely:• pens (black ink)• pencil (for drawing and sketching, but not for writing)• protractor• drawing compass• eraser• coloured pencils• ruler• calculator with spare batteries.

exemplar: example of a response included in the marking scheme as an indication to markers of the acceptable standard for the award of an A-grade

flyer: a written mechanism by which unit managers and immersers can communicate to markers any decisions regarding the treatment of scripts made after marking has commenced

footnote: additional information provided at the end of the relevant piece of stimulus material, with reference to the stimulus material via a superscript. It may take various forms such as a commentary on word usage or sourcing of an extract.

gloss: definition of a term that students are not expected to know. When substantive vocabulary of a high level of sophistication, whose meaning cannot be determined from the context is used, a meaning or explanation is provided at the end of the relevant passage. Reference to the passage is made via a superscript.

grade (response grade): a measure of performance on a short response item on the basis of a student’s response. Grades are consecutive letters, with A denoting the grade pertaining to the highest performance level. The number of grades may vary from item to item. The lowest available grade identifies the threshold for creditable performance.

hierarchy: a ranking of the performance domains of an item, indicating their relative contributions to the award of the grades

immerser (SR): a person who trains markers to apply the prescribed marking schemes and standards for each item; conducts check marking and refocusing sessions as determined by quality control; supports markers with advice on marking; and maintains the standards of the marking

immersion: instruction to acquaint markers with details and subtleties of the marking schemes for the items in an allocated unit, discussion of common response types and marking of real student responses

immersion notes: unit-specific script prepared by immersers for use in training markers

immersion session: a set period of time when immersers train markers in the marking scheme and provide them with guided assistance in practice marking. Verbal instructions which form part of the marking prescription may be given at this time.

incline of difficulty: the sequencing of units within a testpaper in such a way that units tend to become progressively more difficult towards the end of the testpaper

introduction: a block of text at the beginning of a unit that, when necessary, gives a reference for the stimulus material and items to follow


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item: comprises the stem, cue and response area

item-specific: pertaining to a particular item. Usually, item-specific documents contain information that can only pertain to one of the items on a particular subtest.

item writer: a person who writes and develops items for inclusion in the itembank. Test specifications are heeded in the writing of items.

key term: one of a list of verbs used in the stems of short response items as commands or task setters, and for which clear definitions are appropriately circulated to students and markers for the purposes of the QCS Test. The key terms include the following:

line numbers: numbers situated in the left-hand margin of some passages of stimulus material to help students locate details mentioned in associated items

marker training: a process which occurs during the days immediately preceding the marking proper, and consists of a pretraining/administration session and an immersion session in an allocated marking unit, together with preliminary marking and feedback sessions

marking history: a collection of marking schemes for all items in the unit in which a marker is trained to mark, together with the marker manual. Running rules and flyers are sometimes added to the folio during the course of the marking operation.

marking grid: an item-specific sheet, accompanying the marking scheme, designed to assist markers’ decision making when the application of descriptors is particularly complex. The use of such grids may be either compulsory or non-compulsory.

marking pool: the total group of markers selected from the register of markers to be involved in the marking operation for a given year

marking scheme: the item-specific criteria and standards schema from which markers can determine grades; the marking scheme may not include all of the instructions to the markers. Most marking schemes are presented as a table in which the cells of each column give the descriptors of standards for the grade shown in that column’s heading.

marking supervisor (WT): a person who trains markers to apply the prescribed criteria and standards; conducts check marking and refocusing sessions as determined by quality control; supports markers with advice on marking; and maintains the standards of marking.

marking unit: a collection of items that is to be marked using a single marksheet. An individual marking unit may include items from more than one test unit. The items of an individual test unit may be spread over more than one marking unit.

marksheet: a pre-printed sheet markers use to record information about marking

mathematical operations: at the level of QCS testing, the basic operations involved in calculation (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division), as well as fundamental mathematical concepts such as simple algebra, percentage, ratio, area, angle, and power of ten notation

account for draw (cf. sketch) illustrate/exemplify show (calculations)

approximate estimate indicate sketch (cf. draw)

argue evaluate justify state

comment on explain list substitute in

compare expound outline (in words) suggest

contrast express present summarise

derive extrapolate prove transcribe

describe find rank verify

determine generalise refer

discuss identify quote


miniature SR paper: an A3 sheet containing abbreviated versions of the items in the testbook. Students may retain this at the conclusion of the test.

model response: an example of a response that demonstrates the highest level of performance and would invariably be awarded the highest grade

monitoring (marker monitoring): comparison of markers (many pairings) to identify responses to be re-marked, markers who require refocusing, and aspects of marking schemes which need attention during calibration

non-contributory: term applied to the grade given to a short response item when a response is unintelligible or does not satisfy the requirements for any other grade (N), or when the item is omitted (O)

notes: a note on a marking scheme that clarifies features of the item; defines, qualifies or explains terms used in the descriptors; and gives additional information about the treatment of particular types of response

omit: label given to that category of response to a test item where the student fails to provide a response, i.e. the student makes no apparent attempt to respond to the task set and leaves the response space completely blank

open-ended response item: a short response item that involves the student in generative thinking and requires the marker to assess the quality of the response. No exhaustive list of desirable features can be identified a priori to describe a given response type.

optional equipment: ‘tools of the trade’ (other than essential equipment) normally used in a course of study, which students may choose to provide for the test, e.g.• set square• correction fluid• sharpener.

pathological response: one of the 2% or less of different or unpredictable responses not covered directly by the descriptors in the marking scheme, and discovered after marking commences

performance domain/s: common curriculum element/s tested by a particular item. For items that are associated with more than one CCE, the influence of each CCE is clearly evident in the marking scheme.

practice effect: an increase in marking speed as the marker gains experience in reading student responses and grading them with the marking scheme

practice set: booklet of authentic student responses given to markers within an immersion session to reinforce learning

preliminary marking: mandatory initial session of actual marking conducted under normal conditions with grades to stand. Preliminary marking usually occurs immediately after immersion and before the feedback session.

primary marking: the totality of the first two independent markings of all items on the testpaper

The number of marker judgments in the primary marking is , where N = number of students,

n = number of items on the testpaper, and pi = number of performance domains for the i th item.

refocusing: a one-on-one counselling session between an immerser and a marker who is experiencing problems with his/her marking, as identified by quality-control procedures

referee marking: an independent third marking of a student response, which occurs when two independent markers disagree to an extent that is regarded as significant for that item

registered marker: a marker who has successfully completed a recruitment session

reliability: the degree to which measurements are consistent, dependable or repeatable; i.e. the degree to which they are free of errors

reliability of grades: the degree to which there is marker agreement as to the grade awarded (although some grades are truly borderline)

n

�=i 1

2N pi


104

response: the student’s work on an item as communicated to the marker. In writing, drawing, calculating and so on in the case of a short response item. By blackening a circle corresponding to the selected response option in the case of a multiple choice item.

response alternative: one of four options from which students choose the best response for a multiple choice item. Students record their responses on a mark-sensitive sheet which is computer scanned for scoring.

response area: the space provided in the short response testbook where students give their response. It may be a ruled area or grid or a designated space in which to write, draw, complete a diagram, fill in a table, or other task.

richness: a property of a test item whereby the item can provide more than the usual single piece of information about student achievement. In the case of a rich short response item, markers are required to award a grade in more than one, usually two, performance domains.

running rules: decisions made by unit managers and immersers after the marking has commenced to supplement the application of marking schemes

sample response: authentic student response used for the purposes of training

second guessing: anticipating the grade selected by other markers by considering ‘What will other markers do?’ rather than by applying the marking scheme

standard: a reference point for describing the quality of student responses in performance domains (see marking scheme)

standard descriptor: a statement or list of statements that succinctly conveys the standard or features required in a response to be awarded that grade in a particular performance domain

star-value: a rating for a short response item relative to other items on the short response paper, in terms of worth/effort, from [*] lowest to [*****] highest. The star-value is printed beside the item number.

stem: that part of the item that indicates the task set or the question to be answered

stimulus material: verbal, numerical, pictorial, tabular, or graphical material that sets the context for the item/s to follow with the aim of promoting students’ responses

testbook (testpaper): the booklet provided to a student for the SR subtest; the cover carries directions to students; the booklet contains items arranged within units. The booklet also contains spare pages (in case the student needs extra response space, or decides to rewrite a response after cancelling the initial attempt) and a fold-out section inside the back cover containing the item and star-value distribution.

training: see marker training

unit: a part of a test consisting of stimulus material and associated items, and often an introduction

unit manager (SR): a person who trains the immersers of a particular unit so that they can train the markers with due regard to the construct of the test. Unit managers direct, assist and monitor the performance of immersers; provide clarification of marking schemes when required; and assist with check marking, referee marking and other quality-control procedures.

validity: the extent to which an assessment instrument measures what it is claimed to measure

validity of grades: the extent to which the item and marking scheme measure achievement in the designated CCE/s

verbal instructions: information given to markers by immersers to acquaint them with the details and subtleties of marking schemes, and with common response types gleaned from a sample of student responses


Queensland Curriculum & Assessment AuthorityPO Box 307, Spring Hill QLD 4004 AustraliaLevel 7, 154 Melbourne Street, South BrisbaneT + 61 7 3864 0299

www.qcaa.qld.edu.au

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